Brothers United
by OakStone730
Summary: Ginny's brothers cause problems for Harry and Ginny. Harry is haunted by the past and the future. Setting is Post-DH at Hogwarts. Ultimately will be HP/GW but there is brief GW/DM. Could probably be rated T but playing it safe with M.
1. Chapter 1 Intro Drabble

Intrigued by the idea of writing a drabble. This is my first go at it, and is probably the prologue to my next Chapter.

Disclaimer: JKR owns all HP characters, etc. I'm simply playing with her toys.

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><p>"Harry, how about a little gnome clearing out back?" said Charlie while holding up some firewhiskey. Harry looked around for Mrs. Weasley, she was frantically trying to get everything ready for tomorrow, "Sure!" said Harry with a smile.<p>

Harry stopped short as they entered the back garden, all five Weasley brothers were waiting there. Charlie clasped his arm firmly around Harry's shoulders, "Just wanted a word with you before you and Ginny head off for Hogwarts tomorrow."

"I promised you guys-" Harry started, but Bill interrupted and said, "Words are just words, but Vows on the other hand are unbreakable."


	2. Chapter 2 Unbreakable Vow

When I was updating chapters, I inadvertently deleted the beginning. It is back...

Update 10/10/11 Corrected for spelling and grammar errors.

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><p>Harry felt her hands tugging on the belt loops of his jeans. Groaning as he did it, he reached down and stopped her hands as they inched around towards his fly. "We can't" he gasped, while moving his mouth along her outstretched neck.<p>

"I'm almost 17 and very willing..." Ginny said breathlessly, "Trust me, I'll go easy on you..."

"No, Ginny!" Harry as she again tried to unzip his jeans. "We really can't go any farther."

"Why the hell not?" she had pulled away from him angrily.

"We just can't"

"You better tell me why not, because I know you want to and we've been meeting here every afternoon and it is driving me crazy."

"It is driving me crazy too, but I promised your brothers..."

"My brothers! They can't tell us what we can and can't do." She reached for him again and he backed away from her.

"Uh, Ginny...it was more than a promise."

"What exactly do you mean more than a promise?"

Harry couldn't look her in the eye, she stood in front of him glaring. "It was more of a vow than a promise." he said reluctantly.

Her voice turned hard as stone "What do you mean a vow?"

Harry muttered something under his breath. "What was that? Un-what?" she snapped.

"Unbreakable! I took an Unbreakable Vow! The night before we left for school."

"YOU WHAT!" Ginny looked at him in horror.

"You have no idea, they surrounded me, all five of them, for a little talk. They talked about you as a little girl, what your first words were, how they all had to take turns changing your nappies-"

"WHAT!"

"Well, I mean they were all there, drinking firewhiskey and glaring at me. And I promised that we wouldn't do anything..."

"Hah!"

"I mean that we wouldn't, you know, and then George said in a really low voice that wasn't good enough. He can be scary you know? For how fun he is normally, it is scary when he gets mean." Harry was talking fast trying to get his side of the story in before Ginny really blew up.

"YOU LET MY BROTHERS FORCE YOU INTO AN UNBREAKABLE VOW. WHAT ARE YOU? SOME KIND OF HUFFLEPUFF?"

Harry looked around nervously at the door. They were in one of the fifth floor classrooms. There wasn't much time before lunch was over and students were filling the hallways again and the room definitely wasn't soundproof.

He held up his hands appeasingly, "Ginny, what was I supposed to tell them, that I was going to shag you the first chance I got?"

"YES! For all the business that it is theirs."

"You know what your brothers are like, even Percy was there, Bill, Charlie, Ron. George, he kept talking, and before I knew it the promise had turned into a vow. And then Ron just held out his hand and I took it and George told me what to say."

"What EXACTLY did you vow?" Ginny ground out, she had moved across the room, Harry suspected that she had moved that far away to keep from hitting him.

"That I wouldn't, you know..."

"That you wouldn't, exactly what! I want to know what was included in this vow, I want to know exactly will make you keel over dead while you are in my arms."

"There was a list, Ginny! They had already written it out!"

Ginny looked at him almost coldly, the anger seem to have gone out of her body. She shook her head at him. "You spent seven years fighting Voldemort, and you weren't willing to stand up to my brothers for five minutes for me."

She turned and went out the door without a backwards glance.


	3. Chapter 3

Updated 9/14/11 - Bill / Fred mix up fixed. Minor edits

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><p>Harry ran to the door, but the corridor was already full of students heading to class. He stood on the balls of his feet to try see which way she had gone. He started heading to the left, brushing past students as he went. He whirled as he heard someone shut out "Wand!" and there was a crack and he saw a body rise up and slam against the opposite wall.<p>

He pushed and shoved his way past all the other students who were rushing towards the scene. He broke through the crowd and saw Ron on the ground knocked out. Hermione was patting his cheeks, "Ron, Ron!" She looked up, "Harry help me! We have to get -" but Harry was already moving away, he headed for the nearest staircase and got a fleeting glimpse of Ginny's long red hair disappearing around the last turn three flights down.

Behind him Harry could hear the younger students chattering excitedly. "Did you see that?" "That was his sister, I'm sure of it" "She just hexed him all the way across hall." "He didn't even have a chance to get his wand out."

Harry charged down the stairs ignoring the pain that tore through his chest, he was heading for the front doors when Professor McGonagall stepped out of her office. "Ah, Potter, you will be late for class if you do not get a move on."

Harry raced past her, "POTTER." He stopped and turned around "I can't come to class today, there's a problem."

"I will remind you, Potter, that this summer session is intended to make up for an entire year of your schooling. Missing a class is not acceptable unless you are bleeding profusely. You are not bleeding so you may accompany me to the classroom." Harry hesitated, "Now, Potter."

Closing his eyes, he forced himself to slow his breathing, the pain gradually dulled. It was only his deep respect for McGonagall that kept him from walking away from her. With a last look at the front doors he turned and followed McGonagall back down the corridor. Ginny needed time to cool down and he probably would just make more of a mess of it if he tried to talk to her now. He needed to think.

Unfortunately, it was Monday which meant a double class of Transfigurations. Harry ignored the two empty seats next to him where Ron and Hermione would normally be sitting. Draco sat on his other side.

"Where are they?" Draco muttered to Harry as McGonagall was demonstrating the wand-movements. Since they had gotten back to school the relationship between Draco and Harry had changed, the antagonism that had always been present before was gone. Along with it the deep-seated loathing and suspicion had subsided. Harry figured they both had had enough of hatred and violence.

Harry shrugged and looked straight ahead. He didn't hear a word McGonagall was saying, he was trying to think of what he should say to Ginny when he finally had her cornered. He hadn't meant to tell her, but he hadn't realized how hard it was going to be to keep it from her. He shouldn't have told her about the vow like that, while they both were so... crap. He had really fucked this up. Draco tapped him on his shoulder, he looked around and saw that everyone was packing up their books and heading out. He grabbed his book and headed for the door.

"A word, Mr. Potter." came McGonagall's voice from the front of the classroom. Harry groaned and turned around. She walked down the path between the desks towards him. "Mr. Potter, I do not know what has gotten into you these last couple of weeks. But your performance in this class has been disappointing. I will remind you that in a few short weeks you are going to be an Auror. Aurors are required to be highly skilled and knowledgeable. Theirs is a very dangerous world; a single moment of distraction can easily prove fatal. They are required to suppress whatever emotional turmoil they are going through at the time and focus on the job. I strongly suggest you start practicing this needed skill or you'll be out of the program before your first week is finished," and turned and left the room.

Harry flung his book across the room. "Damn it to hell." Everything was going wrong at once. He had to find to find Ginny. Forcing himself to slow down and think, Harry sank into one of the chairs. She would have to be out on the grounds. He didn't think she would stay indoors being so mad, she would want to get away from everyone. There was too much ground to cover on foot. His broom. That is what he needed.

Bounding out of the room he went up the steps, automatically jumping over the trick step on the third floor staircase. He shouted the password to the Fat Lady and she had barely started to swing the portrait open and he was already climbing through the porthole. The common room was loud with chatter that stopped abruptly as he climbed through. Just like old times he thought with a bitter laugh.

Ron was lying on the sofa, Hermione sitting next to him. Harry went to brush past them and go up to the boy's dormitory. Hermione leapt off the sofa and blocked him. "Don't you dare walk by us again! What is wrong with Ginny? She shouted something about a vow? She hexed Ron without even a backwards glance. He got a concussion!"

Ron looked at Harry, but Harry couldn't look him in the eye. "Ginny is mad, she is taking it out on both of us." He brushed past her and up the stairs. He grabbed the Firebolt from under his bed and started towards the stairs. He could hear footsteps coming up them. Turning he went to the casement windows, pulled one open and without hesitation straddled the broom and leaped from the window.

At once he felt calmer, more in control. Gliding through the air he had always felt comfortable. Sweeping towards the lake he scanned the ground for any sign of Ginny. He slowed down near the tree where they studied at during their break periods. He didn't really think she would be there, she wouldn't be feeling nostalgic.

Swinging around he headed towards Quidditch field, quickly circling the stands he saw no one around. And hesitantly he looked past the field to the graves beyond. Fred. Harry slowed and pushed the Firebolt to the edge of the first stones. Climbing off the broom he walked towards Fred's grave, scanning up and down the rows of graves as he went. No one was there. His mind started racing as to where to look next. He turned and looked at the Forbidden Forest. She wouldn't go there. Climbing back on the broom he circled around back towards the castle.

Thinking he saw something he looked back when all of the sudden something slammed into his chest, wincing in pain he almost fell off the broom. Clambering to right himself he look to see what had hit him. Four owls were flying away from the school heading south, each with a red envelope tied to its foot. Howlers.

With a shout of victory Harry turned back towards the castle, swinging around to the West Tower, the Owlery. He landed on the battlements and stepped carefully on to the owlery floor. The bones and owl dropping crunched under his feet. He climbed through one of the open windows and stopped short. Ginny was there, her back to him, gently smoothing the feathers of one of the school owls. "Gin-," he started to say.

"Don't come any closer. I really, really don't want to see you right now."

"You have to let me explain."

"No, Harry, I really don't have to let you explain." she whirled around, her wand up in the air.

"I'm sure you have a very, good, noble reason why. You always do." her face was lit by the setting sun, Harry thought distractedly that she had never look more beautiful. "I understood when you broke up with me after Dumbledore died, I understood why you had to go away for whatever it is you had to do, even though you wouldn't tell me. Even though I didn't know if and when you were coming back. I understood why we had to slow things down while we were at the Burrow, my parents were grieving, you didn't want to cause them any worries."

Harry just let her talk, he knew she had to get her rage off her chest, knew she wouldn't listen to him until she had.

"What I don't understand, Harry Potter, is why you would even listen to my brothers, why you thought that it was any of their business. Why you would take an UNBREAKABLE VOW not to touch me! I want you Harry, I want you now. I thought you wanted me too."

Harry took a step towards her, "Ginny-"

"Don't do it Potter!" Ginny raised her wand higher.

He stepped back, "For godsake, Ginny, yes I want you, you know I do. But -"

Ginny cut him off again, almost wearily, "I don't want to hear it Harry, I really don't. Petrificus Totalus," she said with a wave of her wand and Harry felt himself falling back as the Full Body Bind Curse struck him like a shockwave, he landed hard on the ground, sinking into the straw, owl droppings and debris that littered the ground. She turned and went down the staircase.

Harry lay on the ground of the owlery, completely frozen. The stench from the straw made him gag but there was nothing he could do. The bands of the binding curse were tightest around his chest, he tried to force his mind from the pain. His usual escape from the pain was Ginny -thinking about her, being with her was the only relief he had. He forced himself to slow his breathing, gradually the searing pain eased.

Harry wondered how long it would take for someone to find him. He knew Ginny well enough that she would have no qualms about leaving him like this all night. He loved that about her the passion she felt for everything, for Quidditch, for her friends, for him. It was complete and devoted. But once betrayed was difficult to regain.

He could see the shadows on the tower walls growing deeper as the sun sank lower in the horizon. He wondered how cold the drafty tower got at night. There was still warmth on the stones but he knew that they would soon cool. He wondered how things had gotten so bad so quickly. It was only a few weeks ago that they had arrived back at the Burrow, exhausted and grieving after the Battle. The Weasleys had held a memorial service for Fred about a week later. He and Ginny had grabbed any moment they could to go for a walk.

Those first two weeks had seemed magical, Harry felt himself finally relaxing. But the pain inside of his chest grew. He knew what it meant but refused to accept it. He woke every morning exhausted. He knew that soon he would have to make a decision but all he wanted was a little more time with Ginny. And then the letter had arrived for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny from Hogwarts, announcing that the repairs were complete and they could return for the summer session. He'd known he'd have to protect her, and he'd taken the only step he could think of that would let them be together a little longer.

There were footsteps coming up the staircase, and for a moment Harry hoped that Ginny had come back. "Hello there, Harry." Luna's voice floated over to Harry. He couldn't move his eyes to see her but she soon entered the Owlery and stood over him looking down with a small half-smile on her face. "I saw you flying around while I was looking for Napperoshes, they come out right before sunset you know."

She seemed to be waiting for him to respond. "Oh, I suppose I should release you, you'll be wanting to go down for supper." With a casual flick of her wand she said the counter-curse. Harry felt the binding curse release and he leaped to his feet, brushing the straw and owl droppings off his face and hair.

"Thanks Luna."

"Oh, no need to thank me, I've always wanted to do that, but it scarcely seemed nice to curse someone just to try it out. You might want to think about taking a bath, Harry. You smell worse than a Nargle nest" Luna smiled. Harry went over and picked up his broom where he had left it.

"See you Harry"

"See you, Luna" Harry stepped off the precipice and was again in the air. He swept over the lake and looking down at the black water he realized that a swim in the lake would be quicker than going back to the Gryffindor tower. He didn't want to face anyone while covered in owl shit. He landed the Firebolt near the swimming spot and swiftly yanked off his clothes and jumped into the lake. The water was icy cold but he gritted his teeth and endured it while rubbing his hands over his hair and skin trying to get the worse of the stench of him.

Climbing back up the shore he was grateful that there was just enough warmth left in the day that he wasn't freezing. Taking his wand out of his robe pocket he muttered "Tergeo" and started cleaning the muck off of his clothes. He took his time, he was in no rush to go back to the Gryffindor tower. At last he stood up and redressed. The sun had set and the Castle was ablaze in lights. He wondered if the window was still open to the dormitory. Climbing on the Firebolt he flew through the darkness. The window was open. He carefully climbed through the window and stepped into the room. He made straight for his trunk at the end of the bed and pulled out clean clothes and stripped off. He was pulling his jeans on when he heard a voice behind him say quietly.

"Harry."

Harry whirled around, automatically reaching for his wand which wasn't there. Ron was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I don't want to talk about it, Ron." Harry pulled on his shirt, grabbed his wand out of the robe that was laying on the ground and started heading for the staircase.

"I didn't know you had two." Ron called out.

Harry slammed his fist against the wall, but didn't move, didn't turn around, "Two what?" even though he knew what Ron was asking.

"Two scars." Ron walked over to him, grabbed Harry's shoulder and forced him to turn around. Ron pointed at the jagged scar that ran down the left-side of Harry's chest. There was a fading yellow bruise covering most of his chest. "That is why you are always showering after everyone else."

"Forget about it, Ron." Harry asked menacingly. He stared over at Ron a cold hard stare, "Just forget about it." Turning he started heading for the stairs again.

"I just thought, I knew just about everything about you, and then I saw that. I dunno, it surprised me"

Harry turned back and looked at him, barely keeping control, "Ron, listen to me very carefully. You are my best mate. We are going to get past this, but right now I am not in the mood to chit-chat about scars, or what color a nargle is, or why Ginny broke up with me."

Ron protested, "We need to talk about it Harry, I never meant to, we never meant to—"

Harry slammed his hand into the stone wall again, the pain didn't even register, it was taking all of his will power to not turn and pummel Ron to the ground. "Don't. Trust me you don't want me to say what I am thinking right now. What is done is done. Just back off."

Harry ran down the steps, he could hear Ron following not far behind him. He skidded to a halt in the common room. Ron bumped into him from behind, In the center of the the Gryffindor common room a feline patronus that was floating its blue light casting strange shadows up on the red and gold wall hangings. "I want Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley in my office immediately." McGonagall's voice rang out.

Harry shut his eyes; this day really couldn't get much worse. Without looking at anyone he went straight for the porthole and disappeared. Ron caught up to him farther down the corridor. "Hermione went to get Ginny; she was up in their room." Harry didn't bother to acknowledge him.

They walked up to the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's tower. Harry didn't know the password, but the gargoyle simply opened and let them up. The staircase began its gentle twisting glide up the tower.

"Harry, we need to talk about this." Ron pleaded.

The door open to McGonagall's office, Harry sadly realized that he had finally started to accept that it was no longer Dumbledore's. He stepped through the doorway and realized that the day could indeed get worse. Ginny's parents and George were standing in the middle of the room next to Professor McGonagall.


	4. Chapter 4  McGonagall's Office

**Chapter 4 McGonagall's Office**

Revised a bit 9/14/11 Updated for spelling corrections 10/10/11

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><p>This just has to be another nightmare, he thought, this can't really be happening.<p>

"Where is Miss Weasley?" McGonagall's voice rang out across the silent office.

Mr. Weasley looked like he was about to launch himself across the room at them, Harry wasn't sure who his first target would be though. Mrs. Weasley was clutching a handkerchief, but her eyes were filled with anger, not tears. George was leaning against McGonagall's desk, he looked curiously at Harry as they walked into the room.

"Hermione was getting her." Ron said looking over McGonagall's head to avoid eye contact.

The door opened again and Ginny reluctantly stepped into the room. She gasped when she saw her parents. Turning to Harry she yelled, "You told them!" Harry didn't try to stop her as she pulled back her arm and landed a punch right across his jaw. He staggered at the blow. She really has a solid punch, he thought, must be from the years of sparring with her six brothers.

Mr. Weasley pushed his way towards Ginny, only to be stopped by McGonagall's voice.

"Miss Weasley, stop that at once. There will be no violence, no raised voices in this office. That goes for everyone." McGonagall looked directly at Ginny and then Mr. Weasley.

"As it happens, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley stepped forward, pulling torn red pieces of paper out of her purse and throwing them on the ground. "You told us, we were at George's house for supper when your Howler arrived."

Ginny stared down at the paper on the ground. Her mouth tightened but she did not say anything.

"It has been brought to my attention that the two of you have taken an Unbreakable Vow." McGonagall looked at Harry and Ron, "Perhaps you are not aware that forcing another student to take such a vow is an expellable offense from Hogwarts."

Harry looked from Ron to her with alarm, "No! I wasn't forced. I knew what I was doing when I did it," Ginny gave a deep throated growl that he ignored. "If I hadn't been willing, I wouldn't have done it."

McGonagall stared at him in disbelief, "George has told us what this vow involved, it seems very unlikely that any healthy 17-year old male would willingly take such a step."

"Only a complete idiot would do it." Ginny muttered.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley moaned.

"No, more interruptions if you please, Miss Weasley." McGonagall said. "Were you drunk, Potter?"

"No. I wasn't drunk and I wasn't confounded." Harry said firmly.

"Sure, you'd been drinking the firewhiskey along with the rest of us," Ron protested, Mrs. Weasley gave another moan.

"No, I was pretending to take a drink; it seemed a time to keep a straight mind." Harry said. "I knew what I was doing when I said the words; I knew what I was saying."

"Many a wizard has been killed because the Unbreakable Vow they took was misunderstood, or forgotten." Mr. Weasley speaking for the first time, "What did you say in the vow? It is important that we know exactly."

Ron went so pale that he almost looked almost ghostlike. Harry's face grew bright red, "I can't say," he shot a panicked look from McGonagall to Mrs. Weasley. "Really."

"He said it was written down, he read it off a piece of paper that George gave him." Ginny spit out.

Mr. Weasley turned to George, "Where is this paper, George? We need to see it immediately."

George sighed, and reached into his pocket and pulled out a much folded piece of paper. "Are you sure you know what you are doing Harry?" he asked quietly. Harry shook his head and took the paper.

"I still would like an explanation how you and your brothers decided on and acted on such a cruel monstrosity of an act. And, why you Harry, would just let them. This isn't like you, Harry. These boys couldn't bully you into something like this." Mrs. Weasley looked heartbroken at the three of them before her.

Harry started to answer but Ron cut him off "I don't know how it started, it was that night when everyone was at the Burrow for the farewell party. It started as a joke I know. We were all just watching Ginny and Harry together, and it was obvious that they were really serious, and then Mrs. Tonks came with the baby and Ginny was cooing and giggling with it—"

"Teddy is a baby! Of course, I was cooing." Ginny burst out.

"And someone, I don't remember who, said that it was the last thing that this family needed was to have a pregnancy-crisis—"

"WHAT!" said Ginny. "Do you think I would get myself pregnant-."

"And that Harry was a pretty big hero, and Ginny might be more in love with the hero than Harry." George soldiered on.

"WHAT!" said Harry and Ginny together.

Ron concluded, "And we joked that it would make sense to give them a cooling off period so that they could think about things. And get to know each other. I mean, Hermione and I knew each other really well before we…" He trailed off rapidly.

"And how much firewhiskey was involved, in this conclusion?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"We didn't really expect Harry to take it," Ron said, "And then he didn't say no, and by then we were just…"

"Foxed" said Harry.

"Right. So, if they were so foxed, why did you go through with it, Harry?" Professor McGonagall turned back to Harry.

Everyone in the room turned and looked at him. "Yes, Harry, why did you go through with it?" Ginny asked with artificial sweetness.

"I had my reasons, I still have my reasons." Harry said, "Reasons beyond five drunken Weasleys."

"To take this kind of vow of celibacy, Harry, they must be very good reasons." said Professor McGonagall.

"It isn't for forever and it was my decision." Harry said with as final tone as he could. He avoided looking towards Ginny, who had moved to the far side of the office, she was looking out the window as if removed from the conversation.

McGonagall moved over to take the piece of paper from Harry who was still holding it, forgotten in his hand. He reached out as if to grab it back. She studied it carefully and handed it to Mr. Weasley, "Is this word for word, exactly the way you said it, Harry?"

"No, I said it a little differently," Harry muttered, watching mortified as the paper was passed from McGonagall to Mr. Weasley.

"Precisely, what did you change?" Mr. Weasley demanded, studying the paper intently. Harry just looked at the three adults; he really would prefer to be in Chamber of Secrets facing a basilisk than having this conversation.

Professor McGonagall sharply said to him, "Mr. Potter, we are not virgins, we have all been around the block far more times than you have. This is a life and death matter, I suggest you set aside your missishness and tell us what we need to know."

"I didn't say that," Harry pointed at the list. Mr. Weasley humphed, "I'm not a complete idiot." he muttered under his breath.

"Says you," said Ginny from the windows.

Harry went on, "Well, obviously, I didn't say 10 years."

"10 YEARS!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, she went over to George and slapped the back of his head, "What were you thinking!"

"What time period did you say?" McGonagall asked.

"Christmas." Harry closed his eyes as he said it, knowing that Ginny would explode.

"Are you kidding me?" Ginny ran over and went nose to nose with him, her brown eyes blazing into his green eyes, "Six Months!"

"Ginny, please, now is not the time." Her mother said, Ginny walked away, ignoring her mother and everyone else.

McGonagall coughed, "Any other changes, Potter, a single word, a single pause can make the difference."

"I didn't say anything about Ginny; I didn't say her name at all, there is no way I would take that chance." Harry said, looking earnestly at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny turned from the window and, "You mean that you can't have sex for the next six months, but I can do whatever I want? Thanks Harry, awful nice of you." She walked over to the door, "I guess this discussion does not involve me at all. I'll be going, there are a lot of other things I could be doing."

Harry watched her walk out the door and knew she would never be his again. It was for the best he knew, the few weeks they had had together had been a gift. But he'd known all along that he wouldn't get more than this summer, but he hadn't meant for it to end like this.

Mrs. Weasley moved to follow her out the door; Mr. Weasley grabbed her arm and stopped her, "Let her go, Molly. There is nothing you can say to her tonight that will make a difference and we need to worry about Harry."

He moved over to Ron, "You were the vow receiver, do you remember anything differently?"

"No, but I really don't remember much about that night, it is all kind of a blur," said Ron, "Harry, I really had no idea what we were really doing. I thought it had all been a big joke like it was supposed to have been. I would never really have wanted you to do this; that is what I was trying to tell you up in the dorm."

Harry looked at him, "Ron, I made a vow. It was my decision. I hadn't meant to tell Ginny like I did – I just kind of blurted it out. I've hurt her and I'm sure she'll never forgive me. I took my anger out on you. But it was easier to be mad at you and I guess I wanted to blame you because it started with that night."

Ron looked relieved, but his mother look horrified, "Harry, I really don't understand why you did this, why you are so quick to forgive Ron. In our minds this is quite unforgiveable."

She pulled Harry into a tight hug, "Harry, I love you, we all love you. And trust you. There was no reason you need to take such a step. I don't know why my boys did such a horrendous thing to you." Harry protested but she went on "I know you say you have your reason. But they should never have taken such a step. There will be punishments given out – and I do not care that they are all of age and living away from home." her voice rose as she turned to glare at Ron and George.

"I think, Potter, that now is the time that you tell us what these reasons are, Miss Weasley is not here, if there is something that you couldn't say with her here, you can tell us now. If you would like Ron and George to leave just tell them to do so." said McGonagall.

Harry hesitated, his mind was so foggy, he couldn't think straight. He felt like he walking through one of his nightmares, that if he could just make himself wake up this would all end.

"We are waiting, Mr. Potter."

Taking a deep breath, Harry started slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Although, I made the decision at the spur of the moment, Ginny's brothers were right, we were making up for a lot of lost time quickly. I was afraid that we both needed time to slow down and I couldn't make myself do it. So I decided, compulsively, to take the decision out of my hands. I realize now that it probably was not the correct decision. But I am the only one that is going to have to live with it. I am very sorry I hurt Ginny this way, I never meant to do so."

Mrs. Weasley just shook her head at him, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Harry, but that does not make any sense. You want to slow down with someone you do so. You don't make an Unbreakable Vow."

George, who had been leaning against McGonagall's desk, stood up and walked over to Harry. "Harry and I are going for a little walk." He put his arms around Harry and led him to the door.

Harry tried to say something as they were going down the stairs but George just held up his hand, "Wait."

They got to the bottom of the stairs and George led Harry down a small side corridor. Lifting back a tapestry, there was a small door. George tapped a spot with his wand and the door opened, "One of Fred and my old hideouts," he said with a sad smile.

They stepped inside the small room, Harry looked around. It looked like an old forgotten storeroom. There were boxes and brooms leaning against the back wall. Two boxes were set out, next to them was a case of butterbeer and another crate with a wizards chess game balanced on top of it. The game pieces were covered with a thick layer of dust. George looked at the board sadly. He picked up one of the game pieces and held it in his hand, after a moment he set it back down being sure to put it back in the same spot. "Fred was killing me in this game, of course, he always did win when we played chess. Didn't have time to grab the board when we were making our getaway from here."

George pointed at one of the two boxes, "Sit." He sat down on the other box. With relief, Harry sat down, closing his eyes he leaned his head back against the wall. The relief from pain was immediate.

"What gives Harry, you could have knocked me over with a quill when Ginny's Howler arrived. You know what really happened that night. You know you didn't take the vow for real. It was all in fun."

"I know out in the garden you all were just having kidding with me, I know it was a joke to you. But while you were kidding around, I was serious. I meant the words I said, even though the actual unbreakable vow wasn't taken for real for you."

George looked at him in disbelief. "I can't believe, feeling the way you do about Ginny that you would really want to not…unless there is someone else?" George shook his head, "No, I don't believe that, you and Ginny belong together, we all think so."

Harry rested his elbows on his knees, holding his head with his hands. "No, there is no one else." He said definitively, and went on slowly "but I just can't take things farther with her right now, not the way things are... I know I should have stopped seeing her, but being with her was the only thing keeping me sane. And today, we were up in that classroom, and she was killing me, I wanted her so bad and I knew I couldn't do it. It wasn't safe. I was thinking that I really should have taken the vow and I wouldn't have a choice anymore, and all the sudden I just said it out loud."

"Ignoring the fact that this is my 16-year old little sister you are talking about, why did you think that making such a lie would be better alternative than 'Hey, let's take a break.'"

"Nothing makes sense anymore. Ginny is all that I have been thinking about for the last two years. And I just can't make myself walk away from her. But I have to do it, there are reasons why I have to let her go. I was hoping to just hold off for a while, that maybe those reasons would go away, and I wouldn't have to lose her. But, "he added with a bitter laugh, "I'm pretty sure I burned any chance there might have been."

"You hurt her far more doing things this way than you would have just breaking up with her." George said, "That isn't like you, Harry."

"I know, I know. And what's worse, when I was talking with her I tried to shift the blame on you guys, I thought maybe she might not take it so hard. I just am in such a fog right now. I can't think straight any more. I realized that I had made one huge mess of it. I had a lot of time to think about it as I was lying on the floor of Owlery after she cursed me with the Full Bind Curse" George snorted a chuckle. "I realized that I had to clear you guys of it, I'm really sorry about that, and about Ron especially, he had no idea what was really going on, and I was mad at everyone but the only one to blame is myself. And then just now, walking into McGonagall's office, I didn't know how to get out of it. I am such stupid git."

"You are that," George nodded his head slowly at Harry, "Fred and I got ourselves in a lot of tight spots, but never a fiasco as big as this one. Ron doesn't remember much of that night, Percy was passed out by then, Charlie and Bill will know the truth though. You have us looking pretty bad to our parents. And our sister for that matter."

"I know, I know," Harry said, leaping to his feet, "I'll go upstairs and tell them all the truth."

"Hold up, hold up, I think you have demonstrated enough compulsive behavior. You need to slow things down, think it through." George tugged on Harry's arm and pulled him back to the floor.

"You've said a couple of times that you did it because 'the way things are right now' and "you weren't thinking straight". What's wrong. You are the straightest thinker I've ever known. You don't things compulsively, you always have a plan. Talk to me, Harry. And don't try to weasel out of it. I know a paint job when I hear it." George looked around the small storeroom, "I created some of my best excuses right here in this room"

Harry closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "It started at the Burrow, probably a week after we all got back. Nightmares, nightmares so bad I couldn't sleep at night."

George interrupted him, "I was staying in the next room to you and never heard you have any nightmares, Ron never said anything, and he would have, we were all worried about you."

Harry gave a half-smile, "We got very good at the Muffliato spell while we were hiding, I did it every night, after the first one." It was a relief to finally share his burden, he told George the whole story, not leaving out a detail.

"Take a deep breath," George said as they stood before McGonagall's office door, "This is going to be okay." He swung the door open and they both step inside. The group in the office had grown larger, Hermione, Percy, Charlie and Bill were all there, the discussion was so loud and intense that they didn't hear Harry and George enter the room.

"Oi!" George yelled out, everyone turned to look at them, eight pairs of angry eyes settled on Harry. He knew that either Charlie or Bill had told them about the pretend vow. George clasped his arms around Harry and steered him into the room.

"The long and the short of this whole thing, is that our boy Harry here thinks he might be possessed by Voldemort and decided that the best way to deal with it was to lie to Ginny to push her away so he could find a way to deal with his little possession problem on his own and not involve anyone. He used the vow story because he is, by his own admission, a stupid git." He looked over at Harry, "That about sum it up correctly, Harry?"

Harry shrugged and nodded. The rest of the room stood and looked at him in stunned silence. The anger in the room had disappeared. No one moved for a long minute and then Mrs. Weasley walked over and folded Harry into her arms; he stood there stiffly in her embrace. She hugged him tighter and slowly he reached down and put his arms around her.

McGonagall cleared her throat, "I think what we all need to do is sit down and let Harry tell us exactly what has been going on." With a wave of her wand nine chairs appeared, forming a half-circle around her desk. Walking over to her chair, she sat down and waited for everyone to sit.

"If he is possessed I really should notify the Minister." Percy said, looking from his father to McGonagall, "I would be derelict in my duty to the Ministry if I didn't inform him immediately."

Charlie forced Percy into a chair, "I'm fairly sure that Harry's eyes are not going to start glowing red in the next few minutes. If I'm wrong and he pulls out his wand and starts cursing us all, you can run off and tell the minister. Take a seat."

Hermione walked over to Harry, "What is George talking about, you never said a word."

"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure," Harry at her, "I didn't want to alarm anyone if I was wrong, I really wanted to be wrong."

Ron cuffed him on the shoulder, "You should have said something. We are your best mates, after everything you didn't think you could trust us?"

Harry winced at the pain from the blow. "We all wanted it to be over, we all thought it was over, and then when it started up, I just didn't want to believe it."

"Mr. Potter, would you three please come and join us, and tell us all what exactly has been going on." McGonagall's voice was tense with stress.

They sat down and everyone looked at Harry. George looked at him, "Just tell them like you told me."

Harry stared down at the floor, he absently gently rubbed his chest, trying to ease the pain that was always there. "It started with the pain on the scar, I thought it would go away, it would just heal itself—"

Hermione interrupted him, "Wait, you told us, you told all of us that you didn't have any more pain from your scar."

Ron answered for him, "He doesn't mean the one on the forehead, he means the one on the chest, don't you, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

Hermione turned ton Ron "You knew about another scar and you didn't tell me! I can't believe you didn't tell me."

"I just found out tonight!" Ron protested.

Bill interrupted their argument, "Go on, Harry."

"The pain in the scar is getting worse, it just pierces through me. And the nightmares started, while we are at the Burrow. Nightmares like before, seeing inside of Voldemort's head, being the snake, hearing his voice in my head. I can't sleep, the scar burns worse at night.

"That is why you've looked like hell these past few weeks? I thought you were just sneaking off with Ginny somewhere." Ron looked at him in amazement. "I never heard you having any nightmares."

George and Harry said together, "Muffliato"

Hermione groaned, "This was for how long? Harry, Three weeks?"

Harry nodded.

"Let me get this straight, for three weeks you have been having searing pain in a scar caused by the Avada Kedavra curse and nightmares featuring Voldemort, Mr. Weasley voice sounded pained. The rest of the Weasleys were looking over at Harry in disbelief.

"I realized that it must have happened again. Voldemort must have made another Horcrux when he cursed me in the Forbidden Forest, he must be inside me—"

"Horcrux! What is a Horcrux?" Percy exclaimed.

"A piece of a person's soul that they can rip into pieces and store inside someone or something." George said impatiently, "Harry told me, go on Harry, finish it up."

"The pain has been getting worse and worse. I can scarcely breathe without pain. The only time it doesn't hurt is when I am with Ginny; I could block everything out when I'm with her. I just wanted to have a few more days, or even weeks to be with her and then I was going to go away and make sure that Voldemort didn't hurt anyone else. But I didn't want endanger her, I was afraid that maybe Voldemort would be able to move between us if we…" he looked at Mrs. Weasley quickly and went on. "I mean, I thought it would be better if we didn't go too far. I didn't want her to see the scar. I knew she would know and push about it. I was trying desperately to not let get things go far, but it was like being in heaven and telling yourself that you can't fly with the angels. Today was the worst, and I blurted out that stupid lie about the vow. In my mind I had really taken the vow. I am really sorry, to all of you." He looked at each of the Weasleys. "I should never have dragged you into this."

Bill stood up and walked over to Harry. "I think that I can safely speak for the entire Weasley family and say that we are very glad that the truth came out, it would have been nice if it wasn't at the pain of our sister. But for the rest of us," he looked at his brothers, "we can take it."

"The fact that you did not tell anyone when these symptoms appeared was very poor judgment, Harry. I think perhaps that the lack of sleep has affected your thinking." Professor McGonagall was visibly shaken by Harry's revelations, "That you failed to mention it to Ron and Hermione concerns me even more. I realize that you have proven yourself quite capable of handling things by yourself. But you always included your closest friends as your sounding board with almost all decisions, have you not?"

"Why did you not tell us, Harry?" Hermione asked quietly. She was gripping Ron's hand tightly.

Harry looked down at their entwined hands and back up at her. "You two are so happy right now. It took you so long to figure out that you were in love with each other. I didn't want to spoil it."

"You should have told us." Ron said, "After all we've been through together; I can't believe you would shut us out."

Harry stood up quickly and the room swirled, he reached out for the back of the chair. "I just wanted a few more weeks with Ginny, and then I was going to go away and see if things would get better, being away from Hogwarts. I thought maybe that since Voldemort died here that things were getting worse because of it."

"I think that it is very clear, Harry, that something is wrong. Whether or not it is because you truly are still truly possessed remains to be seen." McGonagall looked at him tenderly, "Now that we do know what has been going on, I hope that you will entrust us to help you."

McGonagall looked at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. "I think the first order of business, is to have this scar looked at by the experts at St. Mungos. I fear that a curse scar is beyond Madam Pomfrey's abilities, talented as she is, don't you agree, Molly?"

"Definitely, I will make immediate arrangements to have Harry brought there tomorrow morning. It is too late to go tonight, it is well past midnight already. Perhaps, however, Madam Pomfrey could give Harry a sleeping draught; it may prevent his nightmares and allow him to get a good night's sleep."

"An excellent suggestion, Harry, it would be best if you go down to the hospital wing…"

"No, if I'm going to only have one more night at Hogwarts, I don't want to spend it in the Hospital Wing." Harry protested.

"I'll get the draught from Madam Pomfrey and bring it to Harry in his room." Hermione offered.

"Thank you, Hermione." McGonagall looked at Ron, "Why don't you accompany Harry back to Gryffindor. I think that is all that can be done until we hear what the experts at St. Mungos have to say."

Bill stood up and shook Harry's hand. "Must say that I'm glad that you are possessed, Harry. When I got Ginny's Howler I thought that we had messed up and really given you the Unbreakable Vow. I would have hated to have the Weasleys be the ones who killed off The Boy Who Lived. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go back and try to convince my wife that my brothers and I aren't the English barbarians that she was accusing us of being as I left."

Charlie stood up and "I will be heading out to, you do have a flare for trouble, Harry. Come on Percy."

"What about Ginny?" Percy asked, "shouldn't someone tell her what is going on?"

"No," said Harry wearily, "I don't think she will care at all. She is done with me. It's for the best."

"And that kind of reasoning is what got you in this mess," Hermione said, "I'll talk to her in the morning."

"Don't tell her about St. Mungo's, just tell her I'm a git" Harry said.

"I'm pretty sure she already knows that, Harry. She said as much when she went storming out of our room before."

"She left the dorm?" Harry asked. "Where was she going this late?"

Hermione paled, she looked at Harry and away. "I'm not sure, she didn't really say."

"Hermione, I can tell when you are lying." Harry said, "Just go ahead and say it. Things really can't get much worse for me."

"She went to see Draco." Hermione whispered. Ron spun at her in disbelief "WHAT! When did that happen! Why didn't you stop her!"

"I tried, and then I came here to find you and it was just as Charlie and Bill were arriving and everything just blew up." Hermione said defensively, "I am so sorry, Harry. She is just hurting so bad, she wants to hurt you."

"Draco is changed, she will be okay with him," Harry said numbly, "It was probably inevitable anyway." He stood up, staggered a little as he did so. He realized that he had been used all of the energy he had just to get through the last few hours, there was nothing left in him. He slowly walked out the door, Ron and Hermione following him.

"Harry," Professor McGonagall's voice stopped them as they were leaving, "For what it is worth, I do not think you are possessed. I think there is a far simpler explanation, but let's wait to hear what the Healers at St. Mungo's have to say."


	5. Chapter 5 St Mungos

**Chapter 5: Chapter 5 St Mungos**

Next bit of the story, it is a long one...

9/12/11 fixed for bill/fred name mixup

9/13/11 Draco and Ginny sections rewritten.

10/10/11 Spelling corrected

Harry set the sleeping draught on the table next to his bed along with his wand, he wearily took off his glasses and rubbed his face. Neville and the others were already asleep in their beds. Ron sat on his bed and his face still had a look of disbelief on it. "I can't believe how much has changed since this morning. Why didn't you tell me any of this? You are such a stupid prat."

Harry lay down on the bed and the scar started to burn. "Yes, that has been firmly established, thanks Ron." He realized he hadn't done the Muffliato charm and reached over for his wand and started the incantation.

"Stop," said Ron, "Do it over both of us. Don't keep me out of this anymore."

Harry nodded and settled the curtain of silence over the both of them, "Just like old times," he said with a half-smile. "Night, Ron."

Staring up at the ceiling he tried not to think about Ginny and Draco. His head was telling him she was going to be okay with Draco, that nothing would happen, but his gut didn't believe it. And he didn't have a say anymore, he had known that he was going to have to let her go but it was just happening sooner than he ever wanted.

Ginny's face she was laughing as she waved good-bye, turning she left hand in hand with Draco. Draco looked back with a look of triumph. "You knew you could never have her, not someone like you." The scar on his chest blazed like it was on fire, he could see Naglini was slithering down the corridor and raised his head to strike, Harry knew what would happen, he shouted out a warning – he screamed, but he saw Arthur Weasley struck repeatedly and fall to the ground, his blood flowing out on to the floor into a sea and then he was standing on the cliff with Dumbledore. Dumbledore reached out and started shaking him, "Harry, Harry…"

Harry sat bolt upright, Ron was beside him, shaking him. "Harry, wake up, wake up." He fell back against the pillow. "You were screaming my dad's name, is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it was him in the Hall of Prophecy. I'm sure he's fine." Harry wearily rubbed his hands over his face.

"So, you've been having these every night? This stuff didn't work?" Ron reached over for the bottle, "This is still full, didn't you take any?"

"I guess I forgot," Harry rubbed his face to clear the visions out of his mine, his heart rate to slow down, the scar ceased to burn.

"Too late to take it now, it's dawn."

Harry got up and looked out the window, the sun was just piercing the horizon, the gray of the night was being chased away by crimson streaks that were sweeping across the sky. The lake was blazing with changing colors of purples, oranges, and pinks. Harry looked down at where he'd left his Firebolt yesterday. "Let's go out there." Without looking back to see if Ron was going to follow him he grabbed the broom, straddled it, and launched himself out the window.

With a whoop he flew in a large circle, swinging back he saw Ron hesitate on the edge of the window, close his eyes and step out into the air, Ron's broom dropped for a second and then took off, racing towards Harry. "This is brilliant!" Ron shouted out excitedly at Harry as they met up. Harry laughed and they both turned and flew fast and low over the lake. Their pajama tops whipped wildly in the wind. Harry felt more alive than he had felt in a long time. Ron pointed downwards and Harry looked down just in time to see a long tentacle of the giant squid disappearing back into the depths. They swooped around the lake one more time and then headed back towards the castle, racing around the towers.

The sun had fully risen by the time they returned to the dormitory, climbing through the window Harry saw Hermione sitting on Ron's bed, waiting for them. "Have fun?" she said with a smile.

"It was ace." Ron said excitedly, "Why have we never done that before?"

"I never thought about jumping out of a window before yesterday." Harry said with a smile. He looked over at Hermione, she was staring at his chest. The flapping of his pajamas in the wind had unbuttoned the shirt, the scar was visible.

Hesitantly, she stood up and pushed his shirt aside, Harry stiffened but didn't object as she reached out and traced it. "It is a lot bigger than the one on your forehead. I can't believe this is happening again, I really can't."

"Do you mind? I prefer if my chest was the only one you fondled." Ron said, pushing out his chest.

Hermione smiled and gave Harry a quick peck, turning she looked at Ron, "Maybe if you got that Hippogriff tattoo you've always been talking about, I will," wrapping her arms around Ron's neck she kissed him deeply, "Good morning."

"I talked to your mum, Ron. She has arranged things with St. Mungo's. You two are going to head out right after breakfast. I'm going to stay and try to talk to Ginny."

Harry sank back down on the bed. "Right, we'll meet you downstairs."

Three abreast they walked into the Great Hall, the room that would have been packed with students during a regular school year was not even half-filled. All of the loud chatter and talking stopped as they entered. Harry didn't dare look towards the Slytherin table. Hermione, Ron and Harry took their regular places at the Gryffindor table, Neville, Dean and the others were there already, they all watched as Harry sat down. Ginny's place was empty.

Harry looked at Ron, he was glaring across the room. "I'm going to kill her." "Ron, just sit down don't make a scene, not now." Hermione hissed at him. Steeling himself, Harry turned and looked, Ginny was sitting at the Slytherin table, sitting next to Draco. Her red hair was brushed up against his white hair, Harry had to fight down the nausea that rose up in his throat. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath, Harry turned back around and stared down at the table. Neville said, "Why is she with Draco, what happened to you two?"

Harry said quietly, "She is moving on and so am I." He abruptly stood up from the table, "Take care, Neville." He put out his hand, which Neville automatically shook. "Where are you going, Harry?" Harry didn't answer; nodding towards the rest of the Gryffindors and left the room.

Ron and Hermione quickly followed him. "I'll talk to her Harry, I'll tell her what is going on."

"I'm going to drag her out of there. What does she think she is doing?" Ron turned to go back into the Hall.

"Ginny is just lashing out, she wanted to make him jealous and her choices were limited. Let's face it, how many guys in the school right now would be willing to cross Harry? Draco has to be one of the very few."

"There is no way I'm letting her date him, this is Malfoy we are talking about!" Ron spat out angrily. "There is no way my family is going to let a Malfoy sit at our table."

Harry had a quick vision of Draco sitting at his spot at the Weasley table. He took a deep breath and the pain seared through his chest. "Really, Ron. Just get Harry to St. Mungo's," Hermione pushed the two of them down the corridor towards the McGonagall's office. She hissed at Ron under her breath, "and don't say things like that to him."

Molly Weasley and McGonagall both stood up when they entered the office. "Good morning, Harry, how did you sleep?" asked Mrs. Weasley concernedly.

"Fine," he replied automatically.

Ron gave a quick "Hah!"

"Well, let's see what can be done about that. Minerva, I will send you an owl as soon as we have any news. Harry, St. Mungo's has arranged for us to use the floo network directly to the Fourth Floor. There will be no need to stop at the Admissions Department."

Harry gave a sigh of relief, the thought of walking through the Hospital with everyone staring at him, wondering what was wrong with Harry Potter gave him a shudder. He turned to Professor McGonagall. "I'm sorry, Professor, I guess this changes everything. I didn't tell…"

"We will discuss it when you get back, Harry. Let's first find out what is the problem then we will deal with the other situation." She placed her hands bracingly on his shoulders. "And do not think for a minute that you are getting out of schoolwork, I am determined to have you graduate with the rest of your class."

Harry stared at her with disbelief. Hermione smiled and handed him his schoolbooks that he hadn't noticed she'd been carrying. He looked down at them, everyone seemed to think that there was a way to fix him. "Thanks, I guess." Hermoine gave him a quick hug, "I'll see you soon."

"Okay, Harry, Ron, be sure to say St. Mungo's FOUR very clearly." Mrs. Weasley moved to the fireplace and grabbing a handful of floo powder she flung it into the flames and disappeared up the chimney.

Harry stepped up to the fireplace, turning back he said to Professor McGonagall, "I didn't get a chance to talk to Hagrid, can you be sure to tell him that I said good-bye?"

"You can tell him yourself when you get back" she said firmly. And with that Harry flung the powder on to the flames, stepped in and said "St Mungos FOUR" and disappeared.

He tumbled out of a fireplace on the other side he stood up disoriented. Ron and Mrs. Weasley stood next to him, brushing the ash off their clothes. "Are we all here? Very good I think we just go down here" Mrs. Weasley opened a small door and they were on the Fourth Floor ward. A witch hurried up to them, "Harry Potter? We've been expecting you, please come this way and we'll get you settled right away."

Mrs. Weasley explained as they followed the witch "A former classmate of mine, Julia Breedlove is the Healer in Charge of Spell Damage, she is lovely and a gifted healer."

The witch opened a doorway, and they entered a small office. A petite witch with long brunette hair stood up from a desk, she came over and kissed Mrs. Weasley on both of her cheeks. "Molly, it is so good to see you. We hardly had any time to visit during Fred's memorial service. You look like you are holding up admirably." Mrs. Weasley smiled and said "It is so good to see you Julia, some days are better than others. But today it is Harry that has us concerned."

"Yes, yes of course. Sit down," she indicated to the chairs around a table, "Molly has already told me what about why you are here Harry, let's start by taking a look at that scar. Would you like the Weasleys to step out of the room while I examine you?"

Harry shrugged, "No, it's fine." He reluctantly unbuttoned his shirt. Breedlove approached him, and illuminating her wand, she carefully studied the scar. She carefully pushed the area around the scar with his fingers, "There is quite a bit of old bruising, is that all from when the curse was delivered?" Harry nodded.

Taking a new, thicker wand out of a drawer Breedlove carefully moved it lengthwise along Harry's chest, millimeters from his skin. "Stand up will you please, Harry." Standing, she had Harry face the wall and again moved the wand up and down his back and side.

"Good, good. Thank you, Harry. Sit down again." Breedlove sat down back in her chair, "Since your case is so unique, you understand that it is difficult to say with any certainty. Molly tells me that you feared that Voldemort left part of himself or some dark magic when he made the scar?"

Harry nodded, he knew that the Ministry didn't want any mention of Horcruxes getting out and neither did he.

"The closest case to yours is those of the Death Eaters who have the dark mark on their left arm. When Voldemort was alive it was easy for a Healer to sense the dark magic that created the scar, it was present in the scar. Once Voldemort died, I have observed that on the dark marks of the Death Eaters I have examined there is no longer such a presence on the scar.

"For your two scars, having not examined the first one when Voldemort was alive, I can only say that they identical, there is no presence of dark magic on the scars.

Harry looked at her disbelievingly, "But the pain, the pain is just like before. It never stops."

Breedlove looked at him with an assessing gaze, "I understand that the first scar gave you a great deal of pain at times, but it did stop on occasion, you did not have pain constantly, correct?"

Harry nodded.

"Which raises the question what is causing your pain now, and I am guessing that the pain is significant, isn't it Harry?" Harry shrugged.

"I am also guessing you were not examined by Madam Pomfrey after the battle."

"No, there were many people injured and I just had a bruise and the mark." Harry shrugged again, "I knew it would clear up."

"What Madam Pomfrey would have realized with even a cursory examination, was that you had a splintered rib. Take a deep breath for me Harry." Harry did, but winced as the scar seared through his chest. "Ordinarily cracked ribs can be healed without a problem, in your case Harry the impact of the curse pressed down and not only cracked a rib but splintered it. I believe, and this will have to be confirmed by the Healers on Artifacts Accidents ward, that a splinter broke free from the rib, and is the cause of your pain. It must be perilously close to the lungs, maybe even the heart. I can tell that the scar tissue has formed near or on your lungs. In your case this is good because it prevented the splinter from piercing your heart, which would have been fatal of course."

Harry looked at her in disbelief. Two months of pain and it was all from something that could have been fixed? It couldn't be, he knew what it felt like the pain had been the same, he was sure of it.

"However now that the scar tissue is there, it will be tricky business to free the splinter and remove it. Once the scar tissue and splinter underneath is removed, you should be pain free."

"That's okay then, Harry." said Ron excitedly, breaking the silence. "A perfectly logical explanation for all the pain. And not a single indication that you are possessed…"

"Julia, what about the nightmares. Harry often had," Mrs. Weasley paused, "significant dreams about Voldemort when he was alive, and the nightmares have continued now that he is gone."

"Are the nightmares the same kind of dreams as you had before, Harry?"

"Yes, pretty much."

"I dunno about that, Harry," Ron interrupted, "how typical was the one last night? Because everything that you were dreaming about was old stuff, my dad and the snake, and the Prophecy Hall. Before when you were having Voldemort's thoughts, the dreams were always happening at the time."

Harry looked at him about to object. He thought about the dreams, closing his eyes he could see every detail. "I don't know, the dreams are always different, the ones of the Battle are the worst. I can see Lupin lying on the ground, I can see Voldemort reaching for the wand."

Breedlove looked at him, "Those are all things that happened, correct? Or the dream that Ron described is one that you had in before, when it was Voldemort guiding your dreams."

"Again, it will take a Healer who has more experience with this subject, Harry, but I believe that you may be suffering from battle-fatigue. Hardly surprising considering how much you have had to endure over the last few years. It would difficult for anyone to survive unaffected."

"Harry, I fear we have failed you." Mrs Weasley spoke up, looking at him earnestly, "Arthur and I, and Professor McGonagall all were concerned that after all the pressure you have been under that it would be difficult for you to just let it all go and move forward. None of us can truly appreciate how difficult it was for you and now that is over it is only natural that your mind is having trouble letting go."

Harry looked at the two women. "No, this was real, I didn't imagine all of this. The pain was real, the dreams were real."

"Absolutely they were, Harry!" Breedlove assured him. "But how you interpreted these very real symptoms was not, let's just say not logical. It is not logical for most people to assume that they are possessed because they have chest pains and nightmares."

"Well, to be fair. Harry is not most people and he was..." Ron started to say. Harry cut him off with a look.

"Harry, Arthur went through it too, after your parents died, after Voldemort disappeared. He was affected deeply by all we went through. It was a very difficult time. Don't tell him I told you this, but that is when he developed his fascination with Muggles. He used to spend hours wandering through Muggle villages and exploring their stores. He just wanted to escape from the past, from his memories of those terrible times."

"We had hoped that by being at Hogwarts, away from the public eye that you would be able to adjust slowly to everything. Everything seemed to be going so well for you that we did not see any cause for alarm. We'd underestimated how good you have become at concealing what is going on inside of you."

Harry felt a roaring in his ears. "No," he shook his head vehemently. "No, I know it has to be something more. I didn't imagine it, I know there has to be something more to it. I couldn't, I didn't…"

Molly Weasley said very gently, "Harry, you lived for seven years with constant pressure, long periods of great stress, and immense loss. Of course, the first thing you thought of when these symptoms started to show up is that it was Voldemort. With your history it would be the only thing that made sense to you. I wish you had mentioned it to myself, or Professor McGonagall, or Madam Pomfrey. It would have saved you so much worry and pain."

Harry couldn't sit still any longer, he got up and paced in the small room. "You don't understand. It can't be this easy. I hurt Ginny, I forced myself to push her away. I didn't want her hurt by Voldemort. I knew Voldemort had to be inside me. I couldn't let her get too close because of him. And now you are telling me that I hurt her, lost her for nothing?"

"Scarcely nothing, Harry." Said Breedlove, "And I dare say your Ginny will be very understanding once she finds out what is wrong with you."

"Of course, Ginny is going to understand, Harry." Molly Weasley said reassuringly, "Yesterday she was furious at you because she had no idea what was going on."

"And I would like to caution you that you are still in grave danger, not from Voldemort," she hastened as Harry spun to look at her, "from the splinter. It could easily have killed you, still could kill you in a matter of moments. If you had fallen down or even running up a flight of stairs could have been enough to jar it loose and damage your heart or lungs. It is essential that we remove it immediately."

Harry sat back down at the table, "So you can just take it out and I can go back to Hogwarts?"

Breedlove smiled, "Hopefully, yes. But I'm afraid the taking it out part is going to be a little more complicated than that. Two months ago it would have been a quick fix now; however, things are a little more complicated. We will need to go downstairs to the Artifacts Accidents ward and consult. Marin Mahoney is the Healer in Charge, she is quite gifted."

The Artifacts Accidents ward was crowded with witches and wizards, laying on tables, or waiting in a receiving area to be seen. As Harry and the Weasleys walked down the passageway the talking stopped, and everyone was watching Harry.

"Let's go through here, Harry." Julia Breedlove murmured indicating towards large double doors. They went through the doorway and Harry could hear the excited chatter start up as they left the ward. They stood in a small passageway filled with doors that looked to be patient rooms.

"I do apologize, Harry." Breedlove said apologetically, "I must say I forgot who you were, we should have come down the staff stairs in the back."

Ron said with a smile, "You kind of get used to that after a while when you are around Harry."

"Yes, well, let's get you into a patient room and I will speak with Marin."

Breedlove consulted with the nurse at the staff desk at the end of the corridor. The nurse curiously looked at Harry and then led them to a room. "Here you are, Harry Potter."

Harry looked around the room, it was a small comfortable room with none of the medical equipment that you would find in a Muggle hospital. The room held a bed and two visitor chairs. Glass-doored cabinets mounted on the wall showed various jars filled with colored liquids and pots with lids. Harry recognized a jar filled with unicorn hair but he didn't want to guess what was in the jars.

Marin Mahoney was a red-haired Irish witch with sparkling green eyes, she smiled as she entered the room behind Breedlove. "Well, Harry Potter, pleasure to meet you. Julia has told me briefly about your injury. Let me examine you and we will decide on the best course of action. Please lay down on the table.

She took out her wand out and had Harry take off his shirt. She moved the wand along each of the ribs and down his back. "This may hurt a bit Harry, but probably not any worse than what you have been dealing with every day." She tapped along the edge of each rib, gently with her fingers, having him turnover she did the same on his back. Harry gritted his teeth as the pain shot through his chest.

"Thank you, Harry, you can sit up now, I'm sure that will be more comfortable for you." She looked appraisingly at him. "I agree with Julia's assessment. Your ribs were cracked by the impact of the curse's blow and a splinter broke off. This splinter is deep in your chest near your ribs. Your body has formed scar tissue all around the splinter. In one way this is fortunate, because it has prevented the splinter from moving around and potentially piercing your heart or lungs. The scar tissue must be removed before the splinter can be excised. And that, as they say, is the tricky part."

"How tricky is it?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Well, if we were in a Muggle hospital, they would cut you open Harry and try to remove the splinter with a knife. Very invasive and dangerous. Fortunately we have a safer way to do this process. We will introduce a small parasite into the wound cavity, and the parasites will slowly and safely eat the scar tissue and leave the remaining tissue unharmed. After they have done their job, we will be able to excise the splinter easily enough."

Ron had paled at the word parasite, "A parasite, you mean a worm or something?"

"Not a worm precisely, a maggot, or maggots I should say…"

"What! No!" Harry stood up in alarm. "I'm not going to let you put maggots inside of me…"

"I assure you, it is quite safe. We use an Indonesian maggot, and we have never had a problem retrieving them once their job is done."

Molly Weasley looked as uneasy as Harry, "I don't mean to doubt you, but surely there is another way…"

"The beauty of the maggots is that they only consume the scar tissue, so that the splinter will be released, the lungs – untouched by the maggots – will be free of scar tissue, and Harry will again be able to breathe without pain."

Breedlove, who had been observing quietly up until now, reassured Molly, "It really is the only way other than cutting into Harry."

Harry thought to himself that that the scalpel didn't sound too bad to him. "How do you get them out once they are inside?"

"The maggots do not like vibrations, when we place a vibrating wand next to your chest, the resonance forced them to leave your chest and crawl back to their shelter. Really is quite remarkable, we of course count to make sure that all of them have left before sending in the next team."

"Team?" Harry asked hesitantly, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Oh this process will take several days, we send five maggots in at a time, and they eat their fill after a few hours and so are removed and five more sent in."

"Days!" Harry and Ron exclaimed together.

"Certainly, it depends of course how much scar tissue there is, but the maggots are quite small and the amount of tissue to be removed comparatively large. So I would expect it would take them 4-5 days to get the job done."

"There is one more detail, Harry," Breedlove said calmly, "Because of the very dangerous location of the splinter and being unable to predict when the splinter is going to break free of the scar tissue, you will need to be completely immobile while the process is taking place."

"Completely?" Harry said, "so I won't be able to get out of bed at all." He looked down at the bed he was sitting on. "For five days?"

"No, dear. She means completely immobile." Mahoney put her hand on Harry's arm. "We will need to give you a paralytic potion that will prevent you from moving at all—"

"What!" Harry shouted, getting off the bed. "I can't be trapped in a bed for five days!"

"The good thing about the potion we will use is that it will also prevent you from feeling any discomfort from the injury. And," she said with a smile. "It will prevent you from feeling the little beasties doing their job."

"Will I be able to talk? See? Hear?" Harry asked, he was rubbing the scar, trying to will the splinter out of his body.

"You will be able to see, hear and talk." Mahoney said, "but not feel anything below your neck, I'm afraid."

Harry sank slowly back down on the bed. "Maggots…I think I would prefer to be possessed by Voldemort,"

Ron smiled weakly, "Maybe we can have Hagrid send down a batch of baby Blast-ended Skrewts, I bet they would do the job in about ten minutes."

"When can you get started?" Molly Weasley asked.

"Immediately, I dare say that thinking about it too long does not make it any easier." Mahoney stood up, "I'll just check on our supply of the little beasties."

Two hours later, Harry lay on the bed motionless, the bed had been moved so that he could see someone entering the room, but he wasn't visible to people walking down the corridor. He was propped up on pillows.

Ron entered the room hesitantly and walked over to the bed. "Harry?"

"Yea," Harry struggled to try and move his arms, something.

"Mum is sending off owls to everyone, letting them know what is going on. I'm going to have to get back to Hogwarts, but I'll come back with Hermione tomorrow. Are you okay, Harry? Other than being paralyzed in a bed with maggots eating your insides, I mean."

"Sure, just another day in the life of Harry Potter." Harry said bitterly.

Mrs. Weasley walked into the room.

"Harry, I've sent notes to everyone in the family, they have all been so worried about you. Ron, you need to get back to Hogwarts and tell Hermione and Ginny what is going on."

"Okay. Harry, try to get some sleep."

Harry had already fallen asleep by the time they left the room. Weeks of disrupted sleep had exhausted him. The potion they had given him prevented the nightmares and he awoke in the morning to the sound of the door opening.

Hermione and Ron slowly entered the room, Hermione gasped as she saw Harry on the bed. "Oh, Ron. He looks…"

"I know, creepy isn't it. Harry, are you awake?"

"Yes," Harry looked over at them as they came closer, he wasn't able to lift his head.

Hermione came over and brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes and gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I couldn't believe it when Ron came and told us what was going on. Harry, I am so sorry. I should have insisted you be checked out by Madam Pomfrey."

"I wouldn't have gone." Harry wanted to ask her about Ginny but didn't dare.

"Are you in any pain, can you feel anything?"

"It is okay, can't really feel anything, but I hate that I can't move my arms."

"Do you want to know about Ginny?"

Harry hesitated.

"She is really upset, Harry. She wants to come and see you."

"No!" Harry struggled to try and lift himself up. His body didn't move.

"Listen, Ginny is really sorry, she says that nothing happened with Malfoy, that he just was willing to help her out to make you jealous. Not that that's okay." Ron said. "I can't believe that she would even do that."

Harry stared up at the ceiling. He could still see them sitting at the breakfast table. "Tell her it's okay, that I believe her."

"You do?" Hermione and Ron both exclaimed incredulously.

Harry looked over at them, "I do, Ginny isn't Malfoy's type. But I'm sure he was willing to help her out. Doesn't mean I like it."

"I still don't get how she could go to Malfoy," Ron said, "My own sister…"

"But just to make Harry jealous, to hurt him. How could she have done that." Ron exclaimed.

"I really don't think Ginny was thinking straight that night. And she has dated guys in the past when she was trying to get Harry to notice her, remember Michael Corner? But she really regrets what she did now." Hermione said, "Harry she really wants to come and see you."

"I don't want her to see me like this." Harry spat out, "I don't want her here. Tell her we'll talk when I get back."

"Harry, don't you think." Hermione said hesitantly.

"No." Harry said. "I'll talk to her when I'm back at school, I don't want her here. Let's change the topic."

"So how is that going? Are the 'wee beasties' munching away" Ron shuddered as he looked at Harry's chest.

"They took out the first set and put in the next," Harry said looking down at his chest, which felt strangely disconnected from his body. "Hagrid would love it."

"We are going to have to get back Harry, McGonagall let us out of our morning classes so that we could check on you."

Hermione kissed him on the forehead again. "You'll be back soon…"

Harry heard the door open and close. A man he didn't recognized held up a large camera: "Say Merlin, Harry Potter." There was a brilliant flash and the man apparated out of the room.

McGonagall and Kingsley Shacklebolt walked into the room. Harry watched as McGonagall give out a little cry and hold her hand up to her mouth as they saw him lying on the bed.

"Hello Professor McGonagall, Minister. Sorry I can't get up..."

"We came first and foremost, Harry, to check and make sure that you are okay." McGonagall said, approaching the bed. "Hagrid, and all the faculty send you their deepest wishes for a speedy recovery."

"Harry, I've arranged for a guard outside of your room." Shacklebolt said, "We are trying to locate the photographer who broke in. We should have arranged it yesterday but we didn't think anyone would find out you were here so quick. You are most vulnerable here in this state. The guards will stay outside the room, you won't know they are there."

"What about the project. How does this affect the project?" Harry didn't want to talk about guards and photographers. He wanted to know if he had messed up everything.

"We do have concerns, Harry. You kept a significant secret from us. You believed that you were being possessed by Voldemort and did not share this with me." McGonagall gazed down at him, not sternly but sadly. "It does raise questions on your judgment."

Harry stared up at the ceiling, not wanting to look her in the eye. "I know, it won't happen again."

McGonagall turned to the minister,"Kingsley, perhaps you could let me talk with Harry alone for a few moments."

"Certainly, I'll check to make sure the guards have arrived."

McGonagall turned to watch the Shacklebolt walkt out the door, "I think I know why you concealed this problem, Harry. But I am very concerned.."

"It was just because of Ginny, I just wanted a little more time with Ginny." Harry said. "I know it was wrong, and it won't happen again."

"Harry, we talked about this before." McGonagall sat down next to Harry's bed, "One of the reasons we arranged the Summer Session was to allow you time with Ginny Weasley. To allow you to make a decision whether or not you were willing to give up more of your life to this cause."

"I have already made the decision. I was going to tell you about the pain and the nightmares. I had hoped to just for a little more time."

"I understand, Harry." McGonagall gazed at him kindly, "But Kingsley is going to take a little more convincing. I don't want you to make a final decision about going forward with this project until you have thoroughly recovered."

Harry came out of a dream about Ginny, she was walking through the trees overlooking the lake. She smiled up to him and said…

"Potter."

Harry shook himself awake. Draco Malfoy was leaning up against the doorway, he was holding up a copy of the Daily Prophet. 'Harry Potter, On Death's Door' " he read, "Harry Potter, is fighting for his life at St. Mungo's Hospital…' I must say you don't look like the Great Harry Potter right now. Don't even look like the Boy Who Lived..."

"How did you get in?"

"Witherspoon is on guard duty." He said with a nod towards the door. He came in and moved restlessly moving through the room.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry ground out the words. "What are you doing here?"

"At St. Mungo's?" Malfoy smiled a bitter smile. "Don't you remember? It is Tuesday, my weekly session. Have you talked to Shacklebolt? This little episode of yours better not have screwed anything up, Potter."

"I talked to him and McGonagall. They are going to wait until I'm back at Hogwarts to make a decision." Harry watched him closely.

Malfoy came over and sat down next to the bed, crossing his long legs and looking up at the ceiling. "Aren't you going to ask me about little Ginerva Weasley?"

"No." Harry was raging inside but he wasn't going to let Malfoy know it.

"You say, no, but I think you mean, yes." Malfoy drawled, "She came to me., she noticed things she shouldn't have. She had questions that she seemed to think I could answer. I put her off by reminding her that you were the prick that had pissed her off. Did you like our little breakfast snuggle? I figured that wouldn't hurt anything in the long run."

"Piss off, Malfoy."

"What, no thanks?" Malfoy smiled as he stood up to leave. "You better tame your cub, Potter. Before it gets both of us in trouble." Harry gritted his teeth to hold back a shout of rage. He longed to throw something, to move. To get out the bed and beat Malfoy to a pulp.

"Harry, dear, I've just spoke with Healer Mahoney." Mrs. Weasley was sitting next to his bed. "She is going to be able to get the splinter out today. They are going to take the last of those, those things out of you today."

"They can start anytime they want, I want to be out of this bed." Harry had been losing his temper at everyone entering his room for the last day. The nurses scurried away after feeding him his meals afraid the he would blow up at them. He just wanted to be out of St. Mungo's and back at Hogwarts. The only person he had dared not snap at was Molly Weasley, who had been visiting him every day. She had even taken over for Hermione, reading to him from the textbooks to keep him up with his studies.

Mahoney stood next to his bedside, she held an unusual wand, that was split like a divining rod. "This is the last step, Harry. You may not want to watch this. There will be no pain, but you will feel a tugging."

She held the split wand up over his chest, "It is fortunate, actually, the curse scar provided us with an easy access point to your injury." Harry felt a tugging, and Mahoney pulled on the wand as if it was under great strain. A small needle like point emerged from the center of the scar. Mahoney pulled again, and the splinter continued to rise out of his chest. Mahoney relaxed and reached down and removed the splinter.

"Rather like "Ascio, Splinter" but a bit more complicated." She said with a smile. "This is quite an impressive artifact, Potter."

Harry looked at the small piece of his body that had caused so much trouble. It didn't seem real that everything started from that. "I am going to tell the nurse to give you the anti-paralytic. You shouldn't feel any discomfort now that this out of you." She held up the splinter, I'll put it in a jar far you to keep." She conjured up a jar and slipped the small piece of bone inside.

Harry was able to sit up and smile at Arthur and Molly Weasley as they walked into the room. "Harry!" Molly Weasley rushed up to Harry and hugged him. Harry stiffly moved his arms and was able to return the hug. Movement was slowly returning to his limbs.

"Harry, Arthur and I wanted to talk to you, and Bill is going to be joining us soon," Mrs. Weasley looked nervously at Harry. She was sitting on the chair closest to the bed. "Perhaps this should wait until you are 100 % Harry, but I thought it best to do it now."

"Do what?" Harry looked at her warily.

Arthur Weasley took a deep breath, "Harry, we, Molly and I, take not a small part of responsibility for why you are here at St. Mungo's"

"What do you mean? It was my fault, I should have told someone about the symptoms I was having right away." Harry had had a lot of time staring up at the ceiling for the past four days to think about all the things he had done wrong.

"Harry," Molly Weasley took a deep breath, "You didn't go to anyone because you didn't have anyone to go to. And that is our fault, Arthur and my fault," Harry started to protest, "Let me finish, Harry.

"We know that you have lost everyone that you considered family, a mentor, a guardian. Your parents, Sirius, Lupin, Dumbledore. If you had decided to trust someone with what you thought was going on with this summer, who would you have told?" Mrs. Weasley looked at him enquiringly.

Harry wasn't sure what she wanted him to say, "I imagine Professor McGonagall or…."

Arthur Weasley stood up and moved to the other side of the bed, "Harry, I know that we have told you that you are part of our family, repeatedly."

"But it is one thing to hear what you think are kind words, and actually believe them." Molly finished for him. "We truly want you to be one part of our family, Harry, You are our seventh son. We know that we could never replace your parents, nor would we want to, but it is my hope that you will be able to accept us as your new family. To not wait to be invited for supper but just to pop in when you are feeling like a home cooked meal."

Harry didn't know what to say or do…

"Harry, we want you to feel comfortable to come to us with any problem, to prevent this kind of thing from happening again." Arthur Weasley said.

"If you don't feel comfortable talking to us, then you could talk to one of the boys," Molly Weasley said earnestly, "And, this is not just Arthur and I talking. We had a family meeting," she looked at him significantly, "all of us, and everyone wants you to be a Weasley." She smiled down at him, "They all wanted to come and see you but I told them no, that you weren't well enough yet."

There was a loud bang in the corridor, "that must be Bill, I told him to be careful with it" Mrs. Weasley rushed out of the room. She re-entered a minute later with Bill who was guiding a large crate into the room with his wand.

"Hullo, Harry. I must say you are looking better than the last time I saw you." Bill said with a smile that stretched the scars on his face.

"Harry, dear, It is easy to say words that tell you are part of our family." Mrs. Weasley smiled at him. "But I thought it would be best to show you."

With a flip of his wand Bill removed the lid from the crate. The Weasley Family Clock stood in the crate. The clock named all of the members of the Weasley family. Harry gazed at it. He had seen the clock every time he had visited the Weasleys. It had changed. Fred's name was now in a shimmering mother of pearl, the clock hand pointed at "At Peace". And between Ron and Ginerva the name, Harry, now appeared on the clock.

Harry stared at the clock. He tried to talk but no words came out of his mouth. "Harry, I know I should have talked to you first. I just wanted you to know, without a doubt in your mind that you are one of our family." Molly Weasley looked nervously at him to the clock. "I thought this was the best way to express how much I love you and consider you my adopted son."

"Are you sure that everyone is okay with this," Harry asked hesitantly, he was starting fixedly at Ginny's name at the clock that showed "Traveling"

Bill spoke up, "Everyone. I am here to represent all of my younger brothers and sister. No matter what happens with Ginny, you are part of the Weasley family."

Molly Weasley leaned over and hugged Harry, tears were coming down her face. "No matter what. You are our son."

"Which brings us to another point," Arthur Weasley was smiling down at Harry, "We've noticed that you only call us Mr. Weasley or Mrs. Weasley, or avoid calling us by name at all. We would like you to call us Arthur and Molly if that is comfortable for you…"

"Or Mum and Dad, if you ever feel comfortable, you decide when that is Harry, if ever." Molly Weasley looked at him earnestly, "I would never seek to replace your mother…"

Harry leaned forward in the bed and grasped Molly in a tight hug. "Thank you…I don't know what else to say but thank you."

"We just need to set the clock Harry, if you are okay with it," Molly said wiping her tears from her face. "I need just a couple of hairs from your head, if you please."

Puzzled, Harry tugged a few strands of hair from his head. Molly took them and went over to the clock, swinging the face open she placed the hairs behind his nameplate. "There." Closing the clock, Harry watched dumbfounded as the clock hand swung and pointed at "At Hospital"

"Dumbledore described your clock as wonderful, it truly is" Harry said with a smile.

"I always thought it was a little bit of a tattle-tale," a voice came from the doorway, Ginny walked into the room, "Could never hide, the clock always knew where we were."

"Ginny!" her mother exclaimed, "You are supposed to be at school."

"Look at the clock, Mum," Ginny said with a smile, Ginny's hand now read "At Hospital". "Can Harry and I have a minute?"

Harry wanted to shout out no, but he watched as rest of the Weasleys slowly filed out of the room. Molly Weasley gave a nervous look back but closed the door. Harry watched warily as Ginny crossed the room. She looked beautiful. She wasn't smiling as she came up to him, her eyes were sober.

"I've wanted to come for the last four days but couldn't sneak out. I finally used the tunnel to Hog's Head to get out of school." She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You didn't need to… I'm going to be back by tomorrow or so." Harry said, he wanted to reach out and touch her face but didn't dare.

"I couldn't wait any longer. What happened. I was mad at you even before our fight. I didn't know what was going on, you were smiling and laughing, but I could tell something was wrong. I'd been feeling you pull away from me. And then you start talking about the unbreakable vow, I just blew up.  
>I should have known something was wrong. You haven't been yourself—"<p>

Harry interrupted her, "I didn't want you to know anything was wrong. I wanted to be able to just be with you and not worry about what was causing all my pain and nightmares. It was stupid, I made a mistake. There are other things going on, and I didn't want to ruin this time I had with you."

"The other things going on, they have to do with Draco, don't they? I went to him that night. I was so angry with you Harry! I wanted to hurt you like you had hurt me. I wanted to find out what was going on between you two. I've seen you two talking when you think no one is looking. He wouldn't tell me anything. He laughed at me and suggested that making you jealous would be the best way to get revenge. But nothing happened, honestly Harry. I just met him at breakfast. I wanted to get a reaction out of you, Harry. And all you did was leave the hall, and then Hermione comes and tells me you were sick and are coming here." Tears welled up in her eyes, she sat down next to him on the bed. "I couldn't believe that I had done that to you and that might be your last memory of me. I'm really, really sorry. I can't say it was Draco's fault. I knew it was wrong, but—"

Harry reached out and hugged her. "I drove you to it, it was my fault. The whole thing was my fault. I want to talk about everything, but it has to wait until I am out of here. Right now I need to know, what do you think about your folks? Everything they are saying? About the clock?" Ginny nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Mum came and talked to me at school, we talked about a lot of things." Ginny flushed, "She wanted to be sure that I was okay with them coming here today and talking to you. I told her the same thing - No matter what happens to us, the clock tells the whole story. We all want you to be a part of our family. Don't tell them no because of me, because of us." Ginny smiled at him. "If things change between us, we'll still be family.

"Ginny…" Harry broke off as Healer Breedlove entered the room.

"Oh, I am sorry Harry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She smiled and looked at Ginny, "Ginny, I've heard a lot about you from your mother. I just came by to see the splinter. Marin told me that it was out."

Harry pointed at the small glass vial sitting on the counter, "It is in there."

Moving over to the counter, Breedlove picked up the jar and held it up. The three centimeter sliver of bone shone in the light. "I must say this is much larger than I had envisioned, Harry. You are extremely lucky."

Ginny walked over and looked at the bone. "This was in your chest?" she looked at him horrified. Harry shrugged.

Breedlove looked at the two of them, "With this in your chest it could have pierced your heart at anytime. Any type of exercise, vigorous exercise, could have shifted it from its position and proven fatal. You should consider yourself most fortunate." With a smile she walked out of the room.

"She didn't really mean that, Ginny." Harry said as Ginny continued to stare at the sliver. "Healers are always exaggerating the danger."

Ginny turned to him, holding up the sliver. "I don't think it was an exaggeration, Harry. This was inside of you. If we had actually-"

The door opened and the other Weasleys filed back in. "We spoke with Mahoney, she said that you will be able to return to Hogwarts tomorrow, unless you would like to come back home to the Burrow, Harry, and recuperate."

Harry looked at Ginny, "No, I need to go back to Hogwarts."

"If that is what you want, Harry, but I hope that you will think about what Arthur and I have said. We want you to consider the Burrow your home. We know there isn't a lot of room, but whatever we have, is yours."

Bill spoke up, "And Harry, regarding Gringotts, I think the negotiations are almost complete. There is going to have to be a settlement for the dragon you let go, but I think Charlie can help us there. They are going to allow you access to the gold in your vault, and Sirius's. But on the condition that you, Hermione and Ron never enter the bank again, you will need a representative to go and get whatever you want in that vault."

"Will they let you be still be my representative? Or does it have to be a goblin?"

"I would be glad to continue as your representative. I'll let you know when things are finalized. Goblins enjoy prolonging negotiations for a long time. They know they have the gold and they are in no hurry to change that."

Harry thought about all the gold in his vault. He looked over at Arthur and Molly Weasley. "I have always wanted to be part of your family. Every summer I would be sitting in my room on Privet Drive and imagining that I was sitting down at your table, wishing that I was doing chores and helping out around the Burrow. So long as it is okay with everyone," He looked at Bill and Ginny who nodded, "I would be proud to call you Mum and Dad."

Molly Weasley burst into tears and seized him out of the bed. "Harry, Harry, I can't tell you how happy this makes us." She pulled back and held his head in her hands, gently kissing him on each cheek. "I know it would make your mother very happy to know that there is a family for you to be a part of, to love you. She never meant for you to be alone."

Harry thought of the smiling red-haired woman in the photo album that Hagrid had given him. His life hadn't been what Lily Potter had planned but it was his life and he was finally able to make decisions about it.

"If whatever you have you are willing to share with me, I would like to share what I have with you. I had been thinking about where I was going to live when I graduate, Grimauld place is scarcely a place I would call a home," he said it with a grimace, "But the Burrow is already filled to the brim when everyone is home. I am hoping that you will allow me to help the family," Arthur and Molly Weasley immediately started to protest, Harry held up his hand, "and once Bill is able to get some of my parent's gold out of the vault. I hope you will allow me to have an addition added to the Burrow."

All four Weasley's protested at once. Harry shook his head, "I would like to have a bedroom or space to have Teddy come and visit – when he is older and Mrs. Tonks trusts me. I made a promise when we buried Lupin and Tonks that I would not let Teddy grow up without knowing his godfather. She might be more likely to let him visit with me if she knows you are there." He looked at Molly Weasley. "Please let me do this, the extra room would be able to make it easier to have the family together, and I would love it if we could include a bigger kitchen for you."

"Harry, we don't want your gold…" Arthur said.

"It isn't my gold, it is my parents and godfathers," Harry said firmly. "I am sure that they would want me to do this, for my family. Do you know what it means to me to be able to say that? To be able to do something in return for this gift you have given me."


	6. Chapter 6 Hogwarts

**The ending - or is it the beginning of the next chapter for Ginny and Harry.  
><strong>

**I had actually written or envisioned the ending first, but have had to completely rewrite the end with a 180 degree change when I realized it just wasn't going to work as I first imagined it. Thanks to KeeperOliver for his help and encouragement. **

**With the rewrite of this ending I have had to re-write two bits from the last chapter (St. Mungos). The conversations with Draco & Ginny were redone completely to fit better with the new ending. It was my mistake to start posting this story before I had a firm grasp on where it was going.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Hogwarts<strong>

Harry waited until he knew that everyone would be in the Great Hall having supper before entering the castle. He quickly made his way to the Headmaster's Tower. As the stairs slowly lifted him up to the office knew that his future was going to be decided here tonight.

McGonagall stood up from her desk and came around and embraced him. "Harry, it is so good to see you well again. I'm not ashamed to admit that seeing you like that at St. Mungo's was a shock."

"I'm back and I'm healthy again." Harry said firmly, "I never meant to cause so much trouble."

"If there is one thing I've learned in the years I've known you, Harry, is that trouble follows you like a boggart. I don't think I would recognize you without it lurking over your shoulder." McGonagall indicated for him to sit down. "The minister will be here soon, but I wanted time to talk to you beforehand."

"Nothing has changed as far as I'm concerned. I wanted take on this mission before I went to St. Mungo's, and I still want to do it. I need to do it."

"Whether or not the Minister decides to let you go ahead with it will depend a great deal on why you made the decision to hide your symptoms from us. This mission, should it go forward with you, requires that you be completely forthcoming with everything that is happening to you. Any physical ailment, any mental doubt, any unexplained circumstances must be revealed."

Harry nodded. "I know, I know. I can do it. I was going to tell you, I didn't because of Ginny. I had thought that we would have this whole summer, and I didn't want to give up a day of it. That was wrong." He looked at her, "I won't make that mistake again. It won't be an issue next time."

"Are you sure, Harry, really sure. This is completely voluntary on your part. You have fought for seven years, no one is going to fault you if you stop now."

Just then the door opened and Kingsley Shacklebolt walked in. He smiled as he saw Harry. "Good to see you Harry, you are looking far healthier today than the last time I saw you."

"Kingsley, Harry has indicated that he wants to proceed as planned." McGonagall said.

"Absolutely, I want to go ahead. The time is now, we all agreed about it when we talked last month. Draco and I have been training; we are ready to go forwards with this." Harry sat at the edge of his seat. "If we wait too long it will be twice as difficult."

"Why is it so important to you, Harry." Kingsley leaned back in his chair, he looked at Harry closely. "Don't you think that you've done enough?"

Harry said as firmly as he could, "I promised myself that I would give it at least one more year. For my future, for the safety of my family, I have to go ahead with it. We all agreed that if we don't do it now then the Death Eaters will soon be so deeply undercover that they will be much more difficult to find."

"What about Ginny?" McGonagall asked. "We need to know how that situation is going to affect your ability to focus on this mission."

"The same answer as before, I'm going to end things, or I guess now it is more not start things up again with Ginny."

"But why, Harry, you almost died because you didn't want to give her up. I don't think your heart and head are talking to each other." McGonagall exclaimed frustrated.

"I'm not going to risk anybody else I love. And I can't be looking over my shoulder for the next forty years." Harry said. "I would like to tell her why, as well as Ron and Hermione. They need to know the full story."

"I think that is a good plan, Harry." McGonagall said firmly.

"So, are we going ahead with everything?" Harry looked from McGonagall to Shacklebolt. "as planned?"

"Yes, Draco is willing, or course, he has little choice." Shacklebolt said, "but on your word, Harry, that you will be must more forthcoming with any problems in your future. Draco is going to be your partner; his life is in your hands."

"And mine in his" Harry said grimly.

Shacklebolt stood up and shook Harry's hand. "If you are sure Harry, we will start everything on August 15th, I'll let the team know. Incidentally, everyone on the team thinks that the photograph in the Daily Prophet is going to be very helpful. Showing you in such a weakened condition is only going to encourage the kind of behavior we need."

Harry climbed through the porthole into the Gryffindor common room. Clusters of students had their books open and had the look of quiet desperation; exams began the next day he realized with a start. Hermione, Ron and Ginny were sitting at a table by themselves on the other side of the room.

"Harry!" Neville called out excitedly, Harry soon found himself surrounded by Gryffindors patting him on the back and demanding an explanation. "We thought you were on death's door!" Harry looked over the heads of the students and saw that the three he really needed to talk to were hanging back.

"Don't you all have exams tomorrow?" Harry said, trying to work his way through the curious crowd. At last, he went over to Ginny and the others. Ginny reached up and hugged him, Harry couldn't resist running his hand through her hair. "We need to talk." Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, "I need to talk to all three of you." Ginny pulled back to protest and he let her step away from him. "Is anyone upstairs?"

Ron nodded his head, "Yea, some people are studying up there, quieter."

Harry looked around, "Let's go to the Astronomy Tower," During an ordinary school year they wouldn't have been able to walk through the school afterhours, but Filch had taken an extended leave, the shock of the damage to the castle had been too great. The remaining teachers were taking a much more relaxed attitude towards school rules.

The stars were brilliant as they walked out on to the battlements. Ron ignored the view and turned and faced Harry. "What gives?"

Harry looked around, "It all started here. When I saw Dumbledore fall, after the shock of it, I realized that I had no choices. I was going to dedicate myself to fighting to make sure that no one else I cared for died because of Voldemort or his Death Eaters."

"We know that Harry," Hermione said impatiently, "You gave up everything to stop Voldemort. And he is gone."

"But the Death Eaters are still out there. Sit down, this might take a while." He sat down on the stone floor and leaned against the wall, waiting for them to join him.

"We know you are going to join the Aurors, that you are going to seek out Death Eaters." Hermione said, but she sat down also, after first concurring up a pillow for herself and Ginny. Ginny sat down slowly; she chose a spot facing Harry. She was in shadow, for once Harry was glad he couldn't see her face.

He took out his wand and wordlessly put the Muffaliato charm over them, "Just as a precaution."

"I have been keeping something from all three of you and I shouldn't have. I wanted us all to be able to enjoy this summer and be happy." Ginny gave a choked laugh, "I am supposed to be going into the Auror training program this fall. But what I've kept from you is that I've already started the training while here at Hogwarts."

"You have! But why keep it a secret?" Ron exclaimed.

"Because while I'm supposed to be in the real training I am actually going to be working with a partner to try and catch the Death Eaters who are in hiding. The Auror department has come up with a plan that will entice the Death Eaters out of the rat holes."

"What is so different about that and being part of the real training program?" Ginny asked confused.

"Because my partner is going to be working undercover and befriending the Death Eaters," Harry said, "and after he gets them to come out, the team will be able to catch them —"

"And what will your role be in this partnership, Harry?" Hermione's voice had a sharp edge to it.

Harry knew it was best to just get it out in the open, "To be visible, to get the Death Eaters to come and try and attack me." "I'm the one they want to get, so once they try—"

"Hang on, mate." Ron said curtly. "You are turning yourself into human bait to lure people to kill you. That is what you just said, right?"

"At the essence, yes, but there is a whole team…" Harry started to try and explain.

"Who is your partner, Harry, who is this person that is going to befriend the Death Eaters and lead them to you?" Ginny had stood up and was facing him, he stood up too, she stared at him, challenging him to answer.

Harry hesitated, "We've been training together—"

"Who is it, Harry?" Ginny's voice rang out loud. "Tell us the name of this partner who is going to have your life in his hands."

"Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy!" Hermione and Ron leapt to their feet.

"What do you mean Malfoy? Harry you can't be serious." Ron said, horrified.

Harry looked at Ginny, her eyes were glittering with anger or tears, he couldn't tell.

"Draco was a Death Eater, he met scores of the top leaders. They met in his house."

Hermione protested, "But what makes you think he can be trusted, Harry?"

"He didn't give us away when we were caught by the snatchers—"

Ron said, "He tried to kill us in the Room of Requirement—"

"Crabbe tried to kill us and Draco stopped him. I know we have been all around this…is he just pretending to stay out of Azkaban? Will he double cross us? But the reality is that we need someone on the inside to get these people to come out and he is our best choice." Harry looked worriedly at Ginny who had moved over to the wall, she had her back to him. "Draco has to go to St. Mungo's once a week, they have a legilimens there that is supposed to be able to detect if he senses Draco hiding anything."

"And we all know how, if he has had any kind of occlumency training, that he could deceive them." Hermione exclaimed.

"That is the reason why Malfoy was included in the summer session. We all were wondering why he would have been allowed to come back. You needed a place to train where no one would notice you working together." Ron said.

Harry nodded. "I'm not really taking Advanced Herbology, Draco and I met with the Aurors and have been training all along. Hogwarts was the best place since it is removed from everywhere, and," he looked over towards Ginny, "because it is where I wanted to be this summer."

"Ron, Hermione, would you two please go back to Gryffindor." Ginny hadn't turned around, she was gazing at the moonlight rippling across the lake. "Now, please…"

Ron started to protest but Hermione grabbed his arm and led him away without a word. Harry slowly walked over to where she stood. They could hear the footsteps of Ron and Hermione heading down the stairs. "When were you going to tell me?" she asked.

"I wasn't, not originally. You knew I was going to be an Auror, you knew it was dangerous. I didn't think—"

"You didn't think that it was worthy to mention to me that you would be deliberately setting up meetings where people were going to come and try to kill you, repeatedly." She turned and looked at him, "For how long? How long are you going to be a walking target?"

"I've promised them a year, but it could take longer…"

"A year," Ginny's eyes were flashing with anger. "I think at last I understand. You were planning all along to break up with me again. That is what that entire unbreakable vow bullshit was about, you didn't want things to go too far and just leave me again. Very noble, Harry."

"This mission is something I have to do, Ginny. I don't see it as a choice. We both know I am always going to be a target until the Death Eaters are captured. I am always going to be marked as their number one enemy. I'm not going to risk losing anyone else that I care about to these people. I need to focus on doing this job and not be worried about you, about your safety."

"Well, there is just one problem with your plan. I'm not going to let you leave me again without a fight. This is not your decision to make alone, this isn't just your life we are talking about, it is my life and our future. I'm not going to just let you walk away from it. We lived under the shadow of the Death Eaters before, we can do it again. But this time it will be easier, because I know that I have your heart and you have mine."

Harry moved away from her, "You don't understand! I've lost too many people I care about, Ginny."

"I lost people too, Harry. Fred. Lupin, Tonks. You. Do you know I still have nightmares? Nightmares of you dead in Hagrid's arm being set down in front of me. Nightmares of not knowing where you were for an entire year, nightmares that you and Ron and Hermione had been killed and I would never learn what happened to you. You are not the only one with nightmares, Harry. You are not the only one who has had to fear for the life of someone they love."

Harry stared at her, how was he going to make her understand? "Ginny, I can't be worried about you while I'm doing this…"

"Tell me, Harry, are you really not going to be worried about me, are you really not going to be thinking about me, are you really going to be able to stop loving me just because you are off doing what you have to do again?" Ginny's voice dropped lower, "I know I'm going to be worried about you every day, I'm going to be thinking about you every minute, I'm going to still be loving you."

"No, Ginny!" Harry protested, moving towards her he reached out and gripped her arms, "You are my life, I am not going to let you –" Ginny leaned forward and kissed him hard, she moved towards him forcing her body against his, he gave in to the moment and kissed her back, but with a groan broke away. She didn't protest, she instead looked at him with the look of a Seeker about to grab the snitch.

"The way I see it," she turned and looked over the darkening sky towards the lake. "There really isn't much to discuss. You love me."

"Ginny…"

"I love you. Those two things are not going to change whether or not you tell yourself that we are through. So the next thing to decide is what we are going to do about it. I'm going to be at Hogwarts for the next year. Barring another full-onslaught attack by Death Eaters which I think even you can agree is pretty unlikely, I'm going to be safe. When I'm at the Burrow the same protections that we used last year can be put into place." She raised an eyebrow at him, "I'm guessing that you already were planning on arranging them, you wouldn't risk anyone in the family, would you?"

Harry stared at her, when had he lost all control of this conversation he wondered? "Yes, I spoke with your, um, with Dad before I left St. Mungo's."

"Then what is the problem, Harry? Don't deny yourself of a chance to be happy, for us to be happy. Go do what you have to do, but know that I am going to be here for you. Then we'll see what happens next."

Harry sighed, "Ginny…"

"Think about it, Harry, don't think about how it can't work, think about how it can work. You killed Voldemort for godsake, surely you can figure out how to hunt Death Eaters and have a girlfriend at the same time."

Harry opened his mouth to protest and then closed it, he didn't know what to say. Ginny was relaxed and smiling at him. He realized with a start that she knew she had won. "If anything happens to you…" he reached down and kissed her, cradling her face in his hands he kissed her with all the passion he had been holding back for weeks.

**The Burrow**

Mrs. Weasley had gone all out to celebrate Ron, Harry and Hermione's graduation from Hogwarts. The Burrow was bursting with people. The small kitchen couldn't hold all the Weasleys and Hermione's family. A table had been set up outside the house for everyone.

Finally the last of the cakes and puddings had been eaten and everyone had spread out across the house and yard.

Harry came up behind Ginny in the kitchen where she was clearing the last of the dishes away. "I need to talk to you; will you come with a walk for me?" With a smile she nodded and they walked out to the small bench on the far side of the garden, they could see everyone moving around in the house and under the glowing torchlights, but they were concealed in the darkness.

He handed her a small rectangular box, "An early birthday present for you…"

Smiling she slipped the lid off and there, cushioned in velvet was a gold pendant on a chain, she picked it up.

"Lumos." Harry held up his wand so she could see the initials HP and GW barely visible in the elaborate engraving of vines and golden snitches that ran through and around their initials.

"Harry, it is beautiful!"

"It isn't just a necklace, it is like the old D.A. coins, but there are only two of them." He reached into his pocket and took out a Muggle coin, "This is mine, a little more disguised." Harry said softly, he picked it up and held it in his hand. "If you need me, if there is an emergency, send me a message and I'll come."

"Put it on me…" Ginny turned her back to him and lifted her hair up from her neck. Harry fastened the chain and then softly kissed the nape of her neck. She leaned back into his embrace. The silence was interrupted by several loud coughs.

Separating they looked over and there stood Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, and Ron. Charlie held up a bottle of firewhiskey. "How about a little gnome clearing, Harry? For old times sake?"

With a laugh, Harry helped Ginny to her feet, "Nope, Ginny and I were just leaving…" wrapping his arms around her, he turned and apparated.


	7. Chapter 6 ALTERNATE ENDING

A couple of people have asked me what the other ending was that I had written for this story, I thought I would just post it. If you didn't like the story the first time around, I doubt it will change your mind.

It starts with Harry entering the Gryffindor common room after coming back from St. Mungos...

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><p>Harry climbed through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room. Clusters of students had their books open and had the look of quiet desperation; exams began the next day he realized with a start. Hermione, Ron and Ginny were sitting at a table by themselves on the other side of the room.<p>

"Harry!" Neville called out excitedly, Harry soon found himself surrounded by Gryffindors patting him on the back and demanding an explanation. "We thought you were on death's door!" Harry looked over the heads of the students and saw that the three he really needed to talk to were hanging back.

"Don't you all have exams tomorrow?" Harry said, trying to work his way through the curious crowd. At last, he went over to Ginny and the others. Ginny reached up and hugged him, Harry couldn't resist running his hand through her hair. "We need to talk." Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, "I need to talk to all three of you." Ginny pulled back to protest and he let her step away from him. "Is anyone upstairs?"

Ron nodded his head, "Yea, some people are studying up there, quieter."

Harry looked around, "Let's go to the Astronomy Tower," During an ordinary school year they wouldn't have been able to walk through the school afterhours, but Filch had taken an extended leave, the shock of the damage to the castle had been too great, and the remaining teachers were taking a much more relaxed attitude towards school rules.

The stars were brilliant as they walked out on to the battlements. Ron ignored the view and turned and faced Harry. "What gives?"

Harry looked around at his friends that had seen him through the best and worst of times at Hogwarts. Slowly he walked over to where Dumbledore had fallen over the edge. He leaned against the wall and faced them. "This is where it all began, when Dumbledore died and realized that this was war was never going to end until the last Death Eater was locked up. Sit down, this might take a while." He sat down on the stone floor and leaned against the wall, waiting for them to join him.

"Okay, Harry, now you are just scaring us." Hermione said reluctantly, but she sat down also, after first concurring up a pillow for herself and Ginny. Ginny sat down slowly; she chose a spot facing Harry. Her face was in shadow, for once Harry was glad he couldn't see her face.

He took out his wand and wordlessly put the Muffaliato charm over them, "Just as a precaution."

"I have been keeping something from all three of you, and I shouldn't have. I wanted to have all of us just enjoy this summer and be happy." Ginny gave a choked laugh, "I am supposed to be going into the Auror training program this fall. But what I've kept from you is that I've already started the training while here at Hogwarts."

"You have! But why keep it a secret?" Ron exclaimed.

"Because while I'm supposed to be in the real training I am actually going to be working with a partner to try and catch the Death Eaters who are going into hiding. The Auror department has come up with a plan to entice the Death Eaters out of the rat holes where they are hiding and catch them."

"What is so different about that and being part of the real training program?" Ginny asked confused.

"Because my partner is going to be working undercover and befriending the Death Eaters," Harry said, "and—"

"And what will your role be in this partnership, Harry." Hermione's voice had a sharp edge to it.

"My role is to be visible, to get the Death Eaters to come out of hiding and try and attack me." Harry knew it was best to just get it out in the open. "I'm the one they want to get, so once they come—"

"Hang on, mate." Ron said curtly. "You are turning yourself into human bait to lure people out to kill you. That is just what you said, right?"

"At the essence, yes, but there is a whole team…" Harry started to try and explain.

"Who is your partner, Harry, who is this person that is going to befriend the Death Eaters and lead them to you?" Ginny had drawn her knees up and had her arms wrapped around them.

Harry hesitated, "We've been training together—"

"Who is it, Harry?" Ginny's voice rang out clear and loud.

"Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy!" Hermione and Ron leapt to their feet. "What do you mean Malfoy—Harry you can't be serious." Ron said, horrified.

Harry looked over at Ginny who still sat on the ground. She had rested her head on her knees and he couldn't guess what she was thinking.

"Draco was a Death Eater, he met scores of the top leaders. They met in his house."

"But what makes you think he can be trusted, Harry."

"He didn't give us away when we were caught by the snatchers—"

"He tried to kill us in the Room of Requirement—"

"Crabbe tried to kill us, and Draco stopped him. I know we have been all around this…is he just pretending to stay out of Azkaban? Will he double cross us? But the reality is that we need someone on the inside to get these people to come out and he is our best choice." Harry looked worriedly at Ginny who still hadn't moved.

"That is the reason why Malfoy was included in the summer session. We all were wondering why he would be here, you need a place to train where no one would notice you working together."

Harry nodded. "I'm not really taking Advanced Herbology, Draco and I met with the Aurors and have been training all along. Hogwarts was the best place since it is removed from everywhere, and," he looked at Ginny, "because it is where I wanted to be this summer."

"Ron, Hermione, would you two please go back to Gryffindor." Ginny stood up and walked over to the wall. "Now, please…"

Ron started to protest but Hermione grabbed his arm and led him away without a word. Harry slowly walked over to where she stood watching the moonlight rippling across the lake. "When were you going to tell me?" she asked in a flat monotone.

"I wasn't, not originally. You knew I was going to be an Auror, you knew it was dangerous. I didn't think—"

"You didn't think that it was worthy to mention to me that you would be deliberately setting up meetings where people were going to come and try to kill you, repeatedly." She turned and looked at him, "For how long? How long were you going to be a walking target, again I might add."

"I've promised them a year, but it could take longer…"

"A year," Ginny's eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. "I think at last I understand why you didn't want to sleep with me, Harry. You were going to break up with me again. Weren't you…"

Harry started to lift his hand to her face but let it fall away as she flinched at his touch. "This mission is something I have to do, Ginny. I don't see it as a choice. We both know I am always going to be a target, until all the Death Eaters are captured. I am always going to be marked as their number one enemy. I don't want to live my whole life that way. I want to be able to walk down the street with the person I love and not be afraid that they are going to be the next loved one that is taken away from me."

Ginny protested, but Harry went on "I've lost enough loved ones, I'm not going to risk anymore."

"But why does it always have to be you, Harry. Let the Aurors and Ministry catch them, we could go away, somewhere where we couldn't be found."

Harry smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm not going to let them force me into hiding. I hid all last year while trying to find the Horcruxes, it isn't the life for me, for us." He tentatively reached up and with, "I want to do this, Ginny. I need to do this."

"But why, Harry, why now?"

"Because Voldemort is dead, I am finally free of him. For seven years I lived under the specter of him. He controlled every aspect of my life, he was inside of me. Now, for the first time, I get to be the one to decide the next move, and mine is to fight back." Ginny protested, "But this time I get to make the decision to fight."

"A year, another whole year without you Harry." Ginny's voice cracked, "I can't wait for you again, Harry. I can't live with my heart stopped in fear that you are going to be killed any day, with Voldemort it was different. Last year, I knew you had to do it—"

"I don't want you to wait for me, Ginny." Harry felt his heartbreaking as he said the words. "I want you to see other people. I want you to enjoy your last year here, and then find out what you want to do after graduation. My path was set for me for the first part of my life. Now I am choosing where it takes me next, you need to do the same with your life. I want you to be sure of what you want out of life. I don't want you to feel bound by that which ties me to my path. I don't want you living in constant fear for me."

Ginny had turned and was facing him, silent tears were running down her face. "I have loved you for six years. You saved my life, my father's life. It has always been you, Harry. I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Harry slowly moved forward until he was just in front of her, leaning forwarded he touched his forehead to hers, one arm slowly wrapping around her in an embrace. With his other hand he carefully wiped away her tears. "I've searched and searched for another way, Ginny. But I can never hope to plan for a future until I am sure that those who would harm my family, our family are gone."

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><p><strong>The Burrow<strong>

Mrs. Weasley had gone all out to celebrate Ron, Harry and Hermione's graduation from Hogwarts. The Burrow was bursting with people The small house couldn't hold all the Weasleys and Hermione's family. A table had been set up outside the house for the celebration dinner.

Finally the last of the cakes and puddings had been eaten and the dishes were cleared away, and everyone had spread out across the house and yard.

Harry found Ginny in the kitchen helping her mother, he caught her eye and nodded towards the back door and quietly left the room. He went and sat on the back steps, hoping she would join him. It was a long minute but he at last heard the door slowly open. "Walk with me…" And not giving her a chance to say no, he headed out past the gardens. They ended up sitting on the small bench in the far side of the garden, they could see everyone moving around in the house and under the glowing torchlights, but were concealed in the darkness.

"It is my birthday tomorrow," he said, "and I've decided to give myself a birthday present this year," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small thin rectangular box.

"Harry…" she started.

"Don't worry, just open it." Harry said with more confidence than he felt.

Ginny slipped the lid off and there, cushioned in velvet were two gold galleons, "What…" she picked one up and tried to see it in the light coming through from the doorway.

"Lumos." Harry held up his wand so she could see the initials HP and GW engraved in swirling letters on the galleon. She turned it over, the other side was an intricate pattern of vines and golden snitches.

"Just like the old D.A. coins, but there are only two of them,." Harry said softly, he picked up the other one and held it in his hand. "This one is mine. This one is yours, I want you to put it away in a drawer and forget about it. I meant what we said last time we talked, I want you to find out which way life takes you, I want you to be sure about what you want."

"Letting you go is the hardest thing I have ever had to do, doing it twice." He shook his head and looked down at the coin and traced the pattern with his finger. "This proves I am not 100% noble. I don't want to give up all possibility that sometime in the future that our paths will be able to move forward together. You are going to know, more or less, what I am doing in the Auror department , someday I hope that it is going to be safe for me to not have to worry about everyone around me. In the meantime, we are going to see each other here at family events, we are going to meet each other's dates at holiday meals. I'll be your brother. But if you ever think the time is right for us, just send me a message, tell me when and where." He nodded at the coin, "and I'll be there."

Ginny softly traced their engraved initials with her fingertip. "Harry, I can't promise that I'll ever send you a message. I'm not going to hold my breath while you do what you say you have to do-"

"Its okay, Ginny. It was a silly idea," Harry went to take the coin from her, but she closed her hands around it, holding it away from him.

"I'll keep it," she said with a small smile, "a memento from what could have been." she stood up and gently kissed his hair and walked back to the house. Harry sat watching her as she disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>Three Years Later<strong>

"Weasley is hot on the trail of the snitch for the win…" Ginny snatched the snitch in a spiraling dive towards the stadium floor. "She's got it! And the Holyhead Harpies win! Crushing the Wimbourne Wasps 220 to 80…the announcer's voice was lost as the crowd leapt to their feet. Holding the snitch triumphantly over her head Ginny was joined by her teammates for a victory lap around the stadium. High up the bleacher seats one figure stood alone amongst the crowd. He smiled as Ginny's dive was replayed on the large screens, she had perfected that move this season but it still made him hold his breath each time she executed it. He quietly moved into the crowds and disappeared.

**Five hours Later at the Burrow**

Harry apparated into the back garden of the Burrow, it was nice to be able to apparate directly to the house once again. Most of the protective charms had been removed, following the capture of Avery nine months previous. Harry and Kingsley were confident that the few Death Eaters remaining posed no real threat. Avery had been the last remaining member of Tom Riddle's inner circle. The Ministry was confident that those few remaining would not attempt any more retaliations. Harry absently rubbed his arm where Avery, wandless and trapped, had defended himself with the only means available to him, a knife.

Harry turned towards the house, he could hear the celebration already started inside. The house was brilliantly lit and through the window he could see Ron and Hermione, newly engaged, talking excitedly to Ginny. Ginny's face was glowing with excitement as she joyfully accepted congratulatory hugs. Her long auburn hair was caught up in a high ponytail that swayed as she moved through the room. He stood for a few minutes and just watched her. He slowly walked up the steps and put on his game face.

He burst in through the kitchen door and grabbed Ginny and spun her in a circle "Congratulations, Ginny. Great victory! I caught the last bit of it on the wireless. Is Sean here tonight?" Ginny laughed, "Sean? I haven't seen him in ages!" Harry shrugged and set her down. "Well, then you'll be able to tell me about the match after supper," with a smile he went over and hugged Molly Weasley. "Supper smells wonderful, Mum. I'm sorry I missed last Sunday's dinner"

"Well, we are glad you could make it this week, and be sure to leave room for dessert, I made Ginny's favorite and I know its yours too, Treacle Tart."

After supper everyone relaxed in the in the sitting room. Harry looked around the room contentedly, ten years ago he never would have imagined being a part of such a family. The worn out sofa sagged in the middle, the fireplace mantle was crowded with photographs of Victoire, Bill and Fleur's daughter born just last year. Everyone was relaxed and enjoying themselves after the meal. Ron and Harry were playing a game of wizarding chess, Hermione and Ginny were sitting at the kitchen table, deeply engaged in a conversation. Harry gave a nudge to Ron. "What are they up to?"

"Don't know, probably talking about dresses again. I didn't know that when you decide to get married that the only conversation that takes place for the next six months is dresses." Ron muttered grumpily.

Harry laughed and reached out to move his knight, Ron was clearly going to win this game but he wasn't going down without a fight. He shifted uncomfortably as his leg started to feel warm, puzzled he reached down to rub it. "What the…" Harry leaped up so fast that his chair flipped end over and end, his knees knocked over the chess board. Reaching into his pocket, he held the coin that was glowing warmer and warmer. Everyone in the room was looking at him. He looked down at the coin: _Tonight. My Place. Midnight_.

"You okay there, Harry? Is there a gnome under the table?" Hermione said with a laugh.

Harry looked over at where she and Ginny sat together, a slow smile lit across his face. "Yeah, sorry, just realized I had a date tonight."

Ron looked at him incredulously "You kicked over the table and fell backwards because of a date?"

"Well, she must be someone quite special. Be sure to bring her to supper next week if you want." Molly Weasley said from across the room. "I'm sure we will all love her."

"I'm sure you will." Harry sat back down at the table and stared at the chess set that Ron had put back on the table. Ron won the game in four moves.

_**Someplace in Wales, Midnight**_

Harry apparated into the small lane just down the road from Ginny's cottage. He had only been here once before when she had thrown a party to celebrate getting her own place near the Holyhead Harpies training grounds. The full moon shown down on the small well-tended garden that was filled with summer flowers and a small bench next to the stone fence.

The door opened as he was raising his hand to knock. Ginny stood framed in the doorway, she had changed into a periwinkle blue dress that showed every curve in her slender body. Her hair was out of its ponytail and fell past her shoulders in a cascade of color. Without saying a word he pushed her up against the open door, trapped her with his arms and kissed her, his lips moving hard against hers, he didn't want to be gentle and he groaned as she returned the kiss with the same passion, her tongue darting into his mouth. His hands wove through her hair and he broke away from her mouth and started to kiss her jaw and slowly down her neck.

The hoot of an owl broke the moment and Harry leaned back on his feet. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to do that?" He stood looking down at her, so close he could see the specks of gold in her brown eyes.

"I have a pretty good idea," she said with a soft smile. "Let's close the door before the neighbor who always walks his dog at midnight gets a real treat." Harry smiled, and not moving his arm from around her shoulders, walked into the room and closed the door behind them. Harry smiled at her comment, the friendly dog-walking neighbor was an Auror in Harry's department. Harry had given him the night off.

Harry looked around the small sitting room. It looked like Ginny, a small flowered sofa sat under the window, soft dusty yellow walls with decorative prints, a bookcase full of books, and photographs of their family and team photos. Stepping away from Ginny he walked over to the photographs. There was the photograph of Harry leaping out of his seat and applauding at one of the Harpies games. "You knew?" he said disbelievingly.

"Harry, when are you going to learn that you can't go anywhere without people recognizing you? Everyone has been talking about how people was seeing you at the games, but you weren't listed on the ticket rolls. I checked. No Harry Potter listed, but then I saw there was a Dudley Dursley who had season tickets. One of my team-mates partners snapped that one of you."

Harry smiled ruefully, "I try to not miss a game."

"I can't imagine how you can go undercover as an Auror, everyone knows who you are." Ginny said, walking up to him and reaching for his hand, and wrapping her fingers around his.

"I wore disguises or used Polyjuice potion mostly." He nodded towards the photograph, "last season, I was disguised at every game, but now," he shrugged, "With Avery caught, everything has quieted down."

"That is what gave me hope," Ginny said with a nod towards the photograph, "I really didn't think that you cared anymore. You were always so relaxed around me, my boyfriends, you never gave a single sign that you were anything more than a brother to me."

Harry looked down at where their fingers were entwined together, raising her hand to his lips he gently kissed her fingers, looking straight into her eyes. "I made you a promise, that I would be your brother, until you were ready. I'd hurt you so much, I wasn't going to break that promise, even though it nearly killed me to see you at the Burrow and know that you weren't mine. I knew that if the only way I could have you in my life was just as a sister, then that is what I had to do, I didn't want to lose you completely."

"Hermione told me that you still had the coin," Ginny said with a smile, "she knew that you still carried it in your pocket, she'd seen you taking it out and turning it in your hand when you thought no one was looking."

Harry smiled, he softly traced his fingers along her cheekbones, and leaning forwards began to kiss her, more gently than before, he nudged her lips with his and sighed as she opened her mouth to his and their tongues twined together. He moved them backwards towards the sofa, she stopped him, "no, this way..." And she took his hand and led him to her bedroom.

Afterwards, they both fell back on the pillows breathless. "Well, that ends any doubt in my mind. If we had done that three years ago it definitely would have killed me." Harry murmured. Ginny looked over at his bare chest and traced the curse scar on his chest with her fingers.

"It seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it" she murmured, gently moving on top of him and kissing the scar on his chest and then on his forehead. "Do you have any doubts, Harry? If you do you have to let me know." She looked into his green eyes, just inches separated their faces. Her hair hung down on both sides of his face, he reached up and gently pulled her head down so that he could kiss her.

With a smile he asked, "Where do you have your coin? Go get it." puzzled, she leaned over the side of the bed and reached for her dress that lay on the floor. Harry couldn't resist slapping her bare rear end as she bent over the side, "Hey!" she slapped his hand away but came up laughing and holding the coin in her hand, she looked down at it. Their initials were still intertwined on the one side. Harry turned it over, the markings on that side were gone, there was just one word written on the coin: **_Always_**.


End file.
